Stormy Weather
by DeniseV
Summary: Heyes and Curry are sent to Texas to help a friend of Big Mac McCready.  Things are bad when they arrive, and they go downhill from there.  For you folks in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and friends in the U.K. who have had such a time with flooding this year.


_**A Dark and Stormy Night**_

The rain had been relentless. Unremitting, and for three days straight the skies had shed their tears over west-central Texas, and it didn't seem inclined to let up any time soon, no matter the begging, pleading and sorta praying Hannibal Heyes did. All this rain was driving Heyes crazy. Truth be told, his partner was suffering just as much, except that he had to also bear the proddy disposition of the darker one of the pair.

And was 'darker' the right word. Hannibal Heyes, alias Joshua Smith, hadn't been all that happy with why they had made their way to Austin in the first place. Fixing up the worn wood railings and the rotted steps and porches on the ranch of a crony of Patrick 'Big Mac' McCreedy, and also shoring up any downed fencing would invariably be back-breaking work. He knew it when he and his partner had boarded the train in the brilliant sunshine that was their send-off from Denver, and he knew it even better once they'd arrived at their Texas destination and were greeted with a persistent rain. That rain had only gotten worse in their three days there. Also, the ranch put them smack in the middle of cattle country, a thought that near as anything sent chills up and down Heyes' spine. It wasn't the season for a cattle drive…the spring had just turned to summer and they shouldn't be called upon to do any rustling – that would be for others to deal with later in the summer – but the agreement with Mac had been 'anything that needed done'. Heyes and his partner, Kid Curry, or Thaddeus Jones on this and most all trips these days, had to amend the agreement themselves to include the phrase 'within the law'. It was funny how even their alleged friends still seemed to be working against them in their legitimate efforts to earn their amnesty. Of course, pairing Mac with the word 'friend' was somewhat of a questionable proposition any day.

"Kid!" Heyes called loudly over the pouring rain. They were being drenched as they made their way back to the line shack in the wagon they had used these last three days for making repairs to the miles of fencing Mac's friend, Jonathan 'Long John' Wade needed work done to. Heyes could kick himself for agreeing to start out here on the fencing rather than on the buildings around the main house. Wade had recently come into possession of the sprawling spread, adding to what was already considerable land ownership in the areas west and north of Austin, and was looking to get it in shape by summer's end. The rain had dampened the progress of repairs, but Heyes and Curry had chosen to call it a day anyway, not wanting to risk again this day what had happened on the previous one. The dark night had come upon them faster than expected yesterday. They had risked their own lives, and those of the two horses, and losing all of their supplies to the rains and resulting mud, the wagon having slipped precariously any number of times down almost completely mud-engulfed hills. It would have been dangerous enough if they could actually see where they were going. They both had the bruises to show from the battering they'd gotten when the wagon did tip once – not over – but Heyes had been tossed from his seat and swallowed a fair amount of mud when he'd landed with a resounding splat in the runny brown muck.

"Yeah!" Kid replied. The fewer words spoken in this weather, the better. Every time either one opened his mouth he ended up spitting out a mouthful of rainwater. One day of rain like this on a dusty trail drive would have been refreshing and downright welcome. Going on four days of it had both men feeling nothing more than drowning rats. They could only imagine how the locals had managed eight straight days of it.

"Remind me," Heyes yelled. Two words risked drowning indeed in this type of weather.

"Yeah?"

"Next time," Heyes went on, spitting water to the side before continuing, "Mac suggests…something…anything," he added in clarification, "the answer's…"

Together, they finished. "No!"

They both saw the shack up on the rise and near a stand of trees. There'd been no sun, with thick, dark clouds along with torrents of rain all day, so they were relieved to actually see the barely livable hovel that they'd been calling home after such a long, wet day. Curry jumped down and ran, as best he could in the shin-deep mud, to lead the team and open the corral. It would take longer for the two of them to get dry – lesser men wouldn't even have considered bothering with the horses in this weather – but they needed to get the animals unhitched and properly cared for before they could think about their own comfort, what little of it they would find out here.

They finished with the harnesses and Kid led the two work horses into the small stalls. He brushed them down briefly and put out some feed. Heyes checked the equipment, re-supplied the wagon with what they would need for the next day, and ended his efforts as he re-secured the triple layer of heavy canvas. Then he walked over to check on his partner.

"Need help?" Heyes asked through a short cough.

"Nah. I'm done." They turned and left the horses, closed the gate behind them and made their way to the shack. The Kid heard his partner cough again. "You okay?" Heyes either didn't hear, which was definitely possible with the raindrops pounding on the roof and spattering in the mud, and hard and loud against their clothing, or he chose to not answer. Both were realistic options where his friend was concerned.

"This ain't no kind o' decent work," Heyes said as he heaved his hat across the room, aiming for the table. The water-laden Stetson landed with a wet splat on the floor, just to the far side of the small pine table. Disgusted, he trudged over, leaned down to grab the hat, and then slapped it on the hook on the wall to the right of the small wood stove. "Why does it seem lately that all of our strongest cards are in a weaker suit?" The poker metaphor perfectly described their recent run of bad luck where employment was concerned.

"We were runnin' low on funds," Curry said softly.

"I know," Heyes replied as he shed his soaked outerwear, which included drenched canvas ponchos and their coats, also wet all the way through. He sighed and shook his head as he looked from the coat to the hook that his hat now occupied. Their 'home', for now a third long day and with no end in sight, was small…too small really for two men. He moved the hat to the floor and put the coat up to dry.

Kid took off his poncho and coat as well. They both had damp clothes underneath, and they would need to start a fire in order to beat the humidity down and get anything to dry. They didn't really need the fire for warmth. Well, except for the constant dampness that, despite the warmth of the air in this early Texas summer, still managed to chill a man to the bone. Heyes coughed again, but didn't give Curry a chance to comment.

"I know we've had worse jobs, Kid. And we're lucky that we don't have to worry about anyone recognizing us, since we ain't supposed to leave here 'til the job's done," as John Wade said when he sent them on their way.

"Or they come and call us back," Kid added as a reminder.

"That's not gonna happen. They'd've done it by now."

"I dunno. Maybe. Remember, we're up in the hills. Higher ground. Any flatlands are probably gettin' flooded. Might not be able to make it up here just now to tell us anything."

"You're prob'ly right. You sure know how to cheer a man up," Heyes said, more despondent than Curry liked to hear.

"Tell ya what. You get the rest of those wet clothes off and I'll cook us some dinner," Kid suggested lightly as he removed his own shirt. Curry was somewhat worried about his partner's cough, though he knew that Heyes might just have swallowed too much rainwater. He knew how _that_ felt. Or that mud from yesterday could be the culprit, and in that case, how long had his partner been coughing like that? He could easily have missed the signs of it earlier in the day; the racket from the rain had made even simple conversations near impossible.

"You alright?" Curry asked as he pulled out the last of the crusty bread and cured ham that Mrs. Wade had packed for them. They had eggs, too. They had decided they would go as long as they could eating whatever they could, so long as it wasn't beans. Of course, they'd also hoped to be able to get to town every couple or three nights, for a drink, a little poker and to stock up on provisions. Maybe a dance with a pretty girl. Or more. It looked like they'd be into the beans tomorrow now, a thought for which neither man held any enthusiasm.

Another cough seemed to take the older of the two by surprise. Heyes frowned when he replied, "I must have swallowed wrong."

"You sure that's all?"

"Yeah," Heyes answered, and then coughed again, long and rough-sounding. "Damn. Maybe not," he ground out as he tried to clear his throat.

"Go lay down. I'll call you when supper's ready," Curry ordered.

"I think I will, Kid." Heyes lay down on the 'bed', such that it was. The sleeping accommodations were as rough as the cuts on the timber that had been used to build the shack. They had both been surprised by how dry the inside was when they arrived, considering the haphazard look of the place from the outside, and that it had remained so over the course of the last three days of interminable downpours, the wretched humidity notwithstanding. They always hoped to get down this way to hole out for the winter, but this climate wasn't suited to man nor beast this time of year. At least not _this_ year. They'd need to remember that for future reference.

Curry went about the work of fixing them something to eat. He started some coffee, and then got the small cook stove going hot. Without the regular and most times welcome distraction of conversation from his normally overly chatty partner, Kid managed to get the food ready in no time.

"Heyes, time to eat," Kid called across the small cabin. Curry dished the food out onto two plates after pouring them each a cup of coffee. He turned to place their meals on the small table to find that his partner had not stirred.

"Heyes!" Kid called louder. He took a sip from his coffee but frowned as he removed the mug from his lips. He walked over to Heyes and looked down at his friend. There was a slight rattle in his otherwise deep breathing, and a decided flush to his face. The light wasn't good but it was easy enough to see what was going on. His partner was definitely getting sick. Kid knew he'd need to get Heyes to eat this meal; it was likely the last decent food he'd be able to get his partner to down if he got any sicker.

"Hey," Kid said as he patted Heyes' arm to help wake him. It took all his self-restraint to keep from feeling his friend's forehead. There was little point in making the effort: it was pretty obvious that if he didn't have a fever now, he was certainly going to develop one soon. And it really didn't pay for the Kid to get caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar, so to speak…it would just aggravate his partner, and neither one of them needed more stress in their lives at the moment.

Heyes jerked in his sleep, his eyes blinking sluggishly at his surprise awakening.

"Kid?"

"Time to eat," Curry said, acting casual despite his worry.

Heyes sat up. "I fell asleep," he said as he wiped his face with his hands and then brushed his hair back from his forehead.

"Yeah, you did," Kid said with a warm smile.

"Sorry." Heyes stood slowly and headed to the table.

"No need to be sorry. I'd a done the same if I hadn't been otherwise occupied."

Again with the smile. Heyes was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He suspected that his attempts to hide how truly lousy he felt had been thwarted in his sleep and he'd been found out by his partner. "Smells good," he said, hoping that Kid wouldn't dwell on it. There was one thing that Hannibal Heyes had learned in his hard life and that was how to take care of himself. He didn't want the fussing, or the resulting worry that Kid could never truly hide in his expressive face.

"Yeah. Almost like we're condemned men." Kid looked Heyes in the eye and they both snorted a laugh. "Well, you know what I mean. It's our last decent meal so long as we stay up here."

Heyes ate, though without the normal gusto Kid was used to seeing from his friend after a long, hard day's work. The fast-draw half of the duo had been thinking about their options while he was cooking, and decided to go ahead and make his suggestion.

"You know, I'll bet they could use two extra pairs of hands on the ranch. Shorin' up levees, helpin' in other ways with the flooding."

Heyes nodded as he finished chewing a mouthful. "I suspect Wade wants everything done all at once. Seems the type."

"That he does, but it don't do much good fixin' fence up here if he loses everything down there."

"Good point." Heyes ate some more. He coughed lightly and took a drink of his coffee before continuing. "Head down at first light?"

"That's what I was thinkin'," Kid replied, pleased to know that he and his partner were seeing eye-to-eye on this. Plus, getting Heyes out of this weather and mud had to be better than staying. Didn't it? It meant a long ride back in this bad weather, but they'd also be closer to civilization, and with his partner sick…

Heyes and Kid finished their supper and each took a turn cleaning up, as best they could. The shack hadn't really been outfitted for, well, much of anything, but certainly not for bathing. They both turned in early. The work had been hard. Exhausting. And Heyes' cough just kept on. In Kid's tired state, though, neither his friend's cough or even the waves of hard rain pummeling the roof would keep him awake on this night.

Curry woke first, which disturbed him. A lot. It wasn't normal; Heyes was always first up. He rolled out of the cot that hung low to the floor. It had been an effort to get out of it the first time he'd slept in it. He was surprised that his partner hadn't complained more when it'd been his turn.

Kid walked over to wake up his still soundly sleeping friend. "Heyes," he said as he lightly kicked the bed's wooden frame. "Rise and shine." It was still dark, though he knew it would become light soon enough. He lit a couple of lamps and then looked over at Heyes again.

"Damn," he said as he quickly crossed the room again. It only took two strides to get to his partner's side. He sat on the edge of the bed, seeing, but more importantly, feeling his friend trembling. "Heyes?" he asked as he tapped the man's cheek lightly. He held his hand on the warm cheek for a moment and then placed it on Heyes' forehead.

"I'm sick," the dark haired one said, not bothering to pull his head away from the touch, knowing that what his partner was doing was, in a way, comforting the blond more than it was himself. Neither he nor the Kid could deny that Heyes' voice had grown much deeper than normal due to the coughing he'd been doing now for hours. Kid hadn't heard a thing; he'd been out as soon as his head hit the pillow, dead to the world…and to his friend's suffering overnight.

"Sorry. I didn't hear…"

Heyes interrupted him. "Nothin' you coulda done anyway." He coughed and then tapped Kid's arm. "Let me up."

"Uh, why?"

"'Cause we gotta get goin' soon, that's why." Heyes frowned at his friend. "You're worryin' me, Kid, if you say you forgot that." Kid stood up and allowed his friend to lower his legs to the floor.

"No, I didn't forget. But you're sick." Heyes coughed again to prove the point. Kid cocked his head toward the door that led out to the miserable weather. "Probably not a great idea to be out in that."

Heyes coughed. Again. Hard. He closed his eyes, the coughing clearly hurting more than just his throat.

"Got a headache, huh?" Kid watched as Heyes put his hand to his chest.

"I ache all over, Kid, but that's not just from bein' sick."

"I'm sore, too." Curry looked at his friend with an accessing eye. "You sure it wouldn't be better to just stay here and try to ride this out?"

"Honestly, Kid. I'm afraid of what I might do if I stay here one more night."

"Is that right? Should I be worried?" Kid asked with a knowing smile.

"You should worry for your life," Heyes answered with a dimpled grin.

"Well, I'm shakin' in my boots," Kid replied, and then added as he looked at his feet, "or I would be if I was wearin' 'em."

"Okay. Enough frivolity," Heyes said as he rubbed his temple. He moaned softly, the pain in his head not at all cushioned by the massage. "Help me up."

"Help you up? You're in a regular bed. Well, sorta. I got outta that thing all by myself," he complained as he pointed his thumb back to the cot. "You got a lotta…" Kid Curry stopped talking as he watched Hannibal Heyes shoot off the bed, yank off the crossbar, pull open the door and barrel through the doorway to the outside. Kid, stunned at the swiftness of everything he'd just witnessed, finally realized what was happening and quickly followed his friend.

Curry came upon Heyes retching to the side of the small overhang. His friend's henley was near soaked, again, from the driving rain.

"Are ya all right?" Kid yelled. The rain was overpowering around them. Though it was lighter out now than when they'd woken up, it was fixing to be a very dark day in the Texas hill country. Heyes had heard the Kid's question, but he was in no way prepared to answer. He shook his head 'no' and then retched again. Kid waited, anxious to get his friend inside, but knowing that neither of them had any control over when Heyes would be finished. Heyes finally turned back towards the door and Kid took his arm and led him back into the shack.

"Heyes?" he asked. He set his friend down on the bed and pulled the wet shirt over his partner's head. He grabbed the cleanest piece of rag he could find and started drying him off, but soon enough the cloth was pulled from his hands.

"I can do it," Heyes said irritably.

"Okay." Kid's answer was tinged with worry, and his own agitation. "That's…okay. Good." He paused, and then added one more nervous "Good," for good measure.

"Kid!" his partner called.

"Yeah?"

"I'm fine. Stop worryin'."

Curry looked at him. He knew Heyes was a little bit crazy, in a good way, and he'd known it since they were young boys, but this was getting ridiculous. "Yer coughing, you have a fever, you've got the shivers, yer grabbin' yer chest when ya cough, and you lost last night's dinner. That don't add up to fine, Heyes! At least it don't in my book."

Heyes put the damp towel over his head and then rubbed it down over his face. He looked up and said, "You forgot the headache."

"Yep. I did," Kid said as he glowered at his partner.

"Look, I've ridden more than ten miles, twenty, with a gunshot wound, at night, on a horse. I'll be riding in a wagon this time. I'm fi…" he started to say 'fine', but looked up to see Kid ready to challenge him. He started to laugh – the look on Kid's face was priceless – but the laugh quickly dissolved into a cough. Curry folded his arms over his chest, not shy about showing his annoyance with his partner. "Okay. I'm _not_ fine," Heyes said after he'd recovered from the bout of coughing, "but I'll survive. Plus, I think they'll need help down there. We're wastin' our time up here. At least down there there's people we might be able to help."

"Ain't gonna do anybody any good if you pass out in a flooded street."

"You'll catch me before that happens," Heyes said with a grin. Kid didn't grin back. "Fine. Then we'll just do what we can and then head for a dry hotel room." Curry's glare hadn't lessened any. "Look, if this rain keeps on, ain't much work gonna get done anyway. We did our best. But we aren't doin' ourselves any favors stayin' here. We'll be lucky to be paid for the work we finished. We should give 'em the help we can today and then head for higher, dryer ground." Kid shook his head in disgust at the thought of moving on so soon, but he knew his partner was right. "We need work," Heyes said plainly.

"Yeah," the Kid agreed reluctantly.

Heyes coughed, another rough, hacking cough. "Plus, I ain't never gonna get over this if I'm wet all the time."

"So, we're gonna head west?"

"Let's see what news we hear when we get to town. Whole country can't be waterlogged like this."

"Knowin' our luck…" Kid started, not needing to finish the thought. He looked at his friend and said, "You should get changed and into somethin' dry. You gonna be able to eat if I cook up somethin'?"

"If all we got is beans and jerky, I think I'll just pass for now, Kid."

"Alright. I'll just gnaw on some jerky, then. No coffee?"

"Nah. Let's get movin'."

"I dunno, Heyes. You seem awful anxious to get out there and get wet again."

"Yep. That's me. I shoulda been born a fish," he answered sarcastically.

After another twenty minutes of typical Heyes and Curry banter, interspersed with a fair amount of Heyes coughing, they headed out to hitch up the horses and start for town. Mother Nature was still battering the landscape. What they'd known to be pretty country was anything but in this persistent dark and damp weather. Neither man thought that the area could get muddier than when they came in the previous night, yet here it was, doing just that.

Heyes got up and took the reins, leading the horses backward. The people who had built the place hadn't taken into consideration the need to turn a wagon around; the two men had little room to maneuver the wagon and its team around the rocks and the corral and the trees and the shack. And then there was the steep slope on the other side of the rarely used road. The mud made every move trecherous. Kid kneeled in the back of the wagon, watching for any and all dangers.

But Hannibal Heyes had a way with horses. He was near as skilled in working them as he was working a hand at the poker table, or, in their past lives, a combination to a safe. Though it had taken fifteen minutes of hard work to get the horses pointed in the right direction, Heyes had managed it without incident or injury.

Or maybe not.

Kid made his way up to sit next to his partner. Heyes was coughing like mad, and wincing each time. Curry put his hand on Heyes' back, where he could finally feel the difficulty his friend was having rather than just see it or hear it.

"Y'alright?" he asked as he felt the convulsions through the many layers they had piled on in hopes of protecting themselves from the rain.

"I…" Heyes started. He seemed to be struggling for a decent breath. He looked up into Kid's eyes; it was impossible for Curry to deny the wide-eyed worry he saw in his sick friend's face, or the anxious concern he himself felt for his partner. He leaned over and took the reins from the ailing man.

"You try to take it easy," he yelled over to his best friend, his one _true_ friend, as he tried to talk over the driving rain.

Heyes finally seemed over this round of coughing. He yanked Kid's hand to gain his attention – he knew he'd need Kid to see his lips to understand him, feeling barely strong enough to speak at all – and said, breathlessly, "You, too," the inference clear that he should drive the horses carefully as well.

Kid Curry did lead the two horse team carefully through the mud-laden and rocky road down into the near valley. He looked to the horizon and then up into the sky, marveling at how many different shades of gray he saw across the landscape. It seemed strange and otherworldly that nature could present such a kaleidoscope of shades and hues, all in just one true color. He could imagine that his partner had seen places like this before – in his mind - from all of the books that Heyes always seemed to have his nose plastered in.

What should have been no more than a thirty minute ride to the outskirts of town had taken them near an hour and a quarter. They were stopped now as they looked at the billowing cascade of water flowing before them.

"We can try to go up river a piece!" Heyes yelled. "Wade said the creek often dried out up that way!"

"Not today, Heyes!" Kid shouted as the curly-headed blond looked up and caught a slapping sheet of rain in the face.

"Well, we can't cross here," Curry's partner returned, the constant yelling, and the coughing, doing a job on his voice.

"Alright! Let's give it a try upstream!" Kid agreed as he steered the horses along the overflowing banks. He stayed up as high as he could, as high as the uneven terrain would allow. The road was washed out, and where he steered the wagon and its team now put them in a precarious angle on the low hills, but he worried about sinking in the grasses closer to the water; there was no telling how close was too close…so close that a wheel might sink into the muck hidden deceitfully by the tall, flowing prairie grasses.

All of the houses and barns and trees along the Barton Creek were flooded, the water having overflowed the banks of this creek north of Austin days ago. Visibility was bad, but from what Heyes and Curry could see, this area had been evacuated successfully; they'd seen no people, horses, cattle…it didn't even seem fit weather for birds. They, too, seemed to have made for safer havens.

Kid stopped the wagon. "Whaddya think?" he asked his partner as he looked at the waters raging passed a section of the creek that was by far the narrowest they'd seen.

"I think we…" Heyes started. He was interrupted by a cough. It was a bad one, and it was obvious to Kid that the coughing was aggravating the pounding headache that Heyes had been suffering all morning. Heyes put his hand up to his head, and then seemed to list to the right. Kid grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Heyes! Watch it!" he yelled. His partner continued to cough. It subsided, finally, and Heyes took a couple of shallow, calming breaths, trying whatever he could to prevent another bout any time soon.

"Sorry. And thanks," he smiled. It was a weary smile, not the kind of smile that Heyes held readily in his being…the one that could light up a room with the force of his personality, when the time was ripe. It was pretty clear that Heyes wouldn't be offering up one of those smiles for some time to come. And that was another strange quirk of Hannibal Heyes, that he knew just when to tamp down that personality when showing it would not suit their needs. Kid thought that in another life, a different time, Heyes might have been a stage actor; he was so good at hiding within himself. That ability, Kid thought sadly, had been borne of the pain and the terror of a fractured youth, one that they shared and had surely contributed early on to them finding their way to a life of crime; it was good that there now was some benefit to be gained from those hard times, in the need to be successful at hiding their true selves, as they made their precarious way toward amnesty.

"You're welcome. I'd hate to have to break in a new partner, partner."

Heyes smiled again, a few more beams of sunshine showing through the stormy gloom this time. "Guess we should cross. Doesn't look too bad. It doesn't seem rocky on either side."

"Not that we can see, anyway."

"Let's try."

They made it across, and then changed direction, heading south towards town. They were pulling away from the creek when Heyes saw something out to his right, just along the creek's eastern edge.

"Kid! Stop!" he yelled, and then jumped down quickly to check more closely. He ran toward the water's ever-expanding boundary.

"Heyes!" Kid shouted as he pulled in the reins and stopped the horses. He calmed the large working animals down and turned to watch the back of his friend's retreating form as it appeared to grow smaller as he made it closer to his quarry, whatever that was. Kid jumped down. He still didn't see what Heyes had seen, but he needed to be ready in case his friend needed his help. Though Kid was the one who usually went off half-cocked, this wouldn't be the first time Heyes did something rash that got him into trouble.

When Kid caught up he found Heyes nearly knee-deep in water trying to extricate a dog from a tangle of tree branches. How his friend had seen that was a miracle, though it was likely that Heyes was scanning the edge, looking for just something like this the whole time; it was just like the man to hone in on an animal in need. Kid knew that if his friend had been able to lead a normal life he'd end up with a whole farm full of animals, especially a nice gang of dogs. The dog seemed to be hugging his partner, his claws making indentations into Heyes' wet poncho, the animal no doubt knowing that letting go would be to his peril. The dog might be feeling safer, but it was clear to the Kid that neither one seemed to be making any progress in actually moving away from the water.

"Heyes!" Kid called.

"Kid! His back leg is all knotted up in these branches. I can't reach it. And I'm slippin'," he said, more calmly than Curry thought possible. The Kid stepped in the water. The dog turned, whimpered, and then tried to jump from Heyes's arms onto Curry.

"Hey, fella," Heyes called after the dog as it yelped in pain when he was stopped from moving by his trapped leg. "Quick, Kid!" Heyes panted, his abused throat catching on his nickname for Jedediah Curry.

"I'm workin' on it!" Kid couldn't believe they were working themselves into this sticky, muddy river, with the possibility of truly getting themselves stuck, because of a dog. He pulled and bent and yanked, and used his knife when he could, and finally a large section of the twisted wood gave and floated away. "Try now!" he instructed.

Heyes pulled the dog away. The animal knew he was free now and he finally jumped onto Kid Curry, making himself comfortable up against the Kid's neck. Kid stepped away and grabbed his partner's hand and they both trudged slowly and squishily from the brown, swampy mess. They walked wearily to the wagon. The storm still reigned over all other sounds, but Kid could hear how hard his friend was working for a good gulp of fresh air, keeping his head down, his face protected by the brim of his hat, and relying on the presence of his partner just beside him to know in which direction to walk.

Kid set the dog up on the top of the canvas-covered rear section of the wagon. "Hey, fella, you okay?" he asked as he checked the dog for injury.

"Softie," Heyes said as he caught up to the pair and leaned on the wagon's side panel. The dog came over and offered Heyes a huge lick on his face. Kid laughed heartily.

"He must know how much you like it when dogs do that," Curry said lightheartedly. It was obvious from the way he said it that the exact opposite was true, despite Heyes' immense enjoyment of the animals in every other way.

"Let's get movin'. Wade's place isn't much farther." Heyes gave the dog a friendly pat as he headed to the front.

Jonathan Wade's home and ranch made up a large portion of the northwest corner of the outer edge of Austin. He'd bought up land as it became available, but had left alone others who hadn't wished to sell their spreads and just wanted to live their lives in peace. Though Wade owned a lot, he wasn't like Mac in Red Rock, who seemed to own everything in town. Heyes and Curry figured there were several Jonathan Wade-types in Austin. There could only ever be one Mac McCreedy. From what they'd heard so far about their new employer, Wade was firm in what he wanted, but kind and fair in how he treated his neighbors.

Kid drove the team on, and the dog found a place to curl up into a ball in the wagon, situating himself just behind Heyes. He'd taken a shine to the one that saved him. Heyes had fashioned a makeshift tent to try to protect the dog from the worst of the rain.

"What're we gonna do with the dog?" Kid asked.

"Don't know. See if Wade can take him until this weather clears."

"Not many folks would be lookin' for another mouth to feed about now."

"You're prob'bly right Kid," Heyes replied with a cough, "but if anyone can afford it, Wade can."

"You're not plannin' on arguin' with the man about it, I hope. He's the one who's gonna pay us."

"Hope not." Kid rolled his eyes and they continued on.

For the first time since leaving the line shack, they were riding on a smooth road. It was enough to lull both of them to sleep; it had been a long day already, and it wasn't even yet ten in the morning. They passed the last of the homesteads before the final long stretch that would take them to Wade's ranch. But it wasn't to be that this end part of their journey would be peaceful. Wet, yes. Easier terrain, sure. But not peaceful.

"Kid!" Heyes yelled again, a virtual repeat of what had gone on near a half hour before. Maybe he saw another animal out there…they'd be a regular Noah's ark at this rate by the time they made it to Wade's. Kid stopped the team once more and scrabbled down quickly to follow his partner. Heyes really wasn't much for rushing anything – planning a robbery, enjoying a good meal, playing a great poker hand – he preferred a more leisurely, deliberate pace, but he ran as fast as anyone when he had to, even when sick. And he could move like lightning in a fast-moving storm across the landscape when he was on horseback.

This time it wasn't a dog that needed their help.

Kid got to the creek to see Heyes on his knees, his legs near buried in mud, a little girl propped up against him. She was dead. Curry turned toward the tree and saw another body. He hurried over. A woman. Both were in dresses. No coats, their shoes probably taken by the power of the storm-fed creek. Kid thought idly they should rename it a river. He turned the woman over; he didn't need to check her pulse to know she was gone. Her wide open, lifeless eyes told that story all too well. He slid his fingers gently over her lids to close them and then set her back on the wet ground.

"Heyes," he said, loudly but gently as his friend continued to hold the small, dead girl. "We should put these bod…people in the wagon and keep movin'."

Hannibal Heyes heard his friend, and he knew that he was right. But what he felt and what he knew most right that moment was that his decision to head up to work the fencing had been one of the worst calls he'd ever made. If they'd been down here, they could have been working with these people to try to prevent something like this from happening. The horrible, dreadful tragedy might have been avoided if they'd been here. They may not have saved these two, but another might have been freed up from some other responsibilities who may then have been there to save them. They hadn't been dead long, certainly less than a day. Probably just hours.

"Heyes!" Kid called again. He kneeled in front of his friend, seeing the pain and the guilt in his partner's eyes. "Don't do it, Heyes. This is not your fault. This is nobody's fault." Heyes looked at Kid's compassionate face. He started to say something, but the person who knew him best stopped him. "No!" he shouted. "Just…" Kid paused, and then added more calmly, "No. This was just bad luck and bad timing and nothin' more." He watched Heyes react to his words. He knew this man so well, and he knew that he'd feel guilty for not being able to stop this from happening. Anyone would. But it was the guilt that all humanity would feel, should feel at the loss of a young woman and her child. But it was not the guilt that his friend should shoulder alone.

"Come on," Kid said. "Let's get them to Wade's and see if they've got folks lookin' for 'em."

Heyes looked like he was trying his damnedest to hold in his anger. That effort was aggravating his headache, Kid could see it in the strained, weary face. Heyes wiped his hand down his face, removing the most recent rain, and more. Curry offered him his hand, but his partner didn't take it. Instead, he offered up the little girl. Kid took her and placed her in the back of the wagon, first removing the top layer of canvas so that they would have something with which to cover mother and child. He turned back to help Heyes with the woman, but he wouldn't need to: Heyes came through the high grass and placed her alongside her young daughter. Yes, maybe they'd made assumptions about the relationship, though even death couldn't hide that there was some connection. They hoped that someone would claim them, though they wished even more that they'd never had to hope such a thing.

The dog whimpered as they tacked down the canvas cover. Heyes looked at the animal and then over to Kid. He shook his head, rubbed his temple again, and then the partners took their seats and moved on.

They made their way onto Jonathan Wade's ranch just as Wade and several of his men rode in on horseback.

"'Bout time you fellas headed back down," Wade chastised.

"We got done what we could but figured we'd be more productive, and helpful, down here," Kid answered. He looked to his partner, who didn't seem inclined to respond to the rancher's accusatory tone. Heyes' mood was getting darker by the minute, most likely in parallel with the downward direction of how he was feeling physically. Thinking about what was held in the back of the wagon wasn't helping.

"Well, come inside and get dried off. Mrs. Wade is preparin' lunch. Then we'll…"

"Mr. Wade," Heyes called, interrupting loudly, and a little rudely. Wade's men looked on with heightened caution, leery of a newcomer who would treat the boss in such a way.

"What is it, Mr. Jones? I'd like to get inside and outta this rain."

"It's Smith. He's Jones. We've got…" he started, but the dog jumped up and barked stridently at Wade.

"Picked up old Jake's hound, did ya? Howdy, Rambler." The dog growled at the rancher. "Dog never did like me much," Wade groused. "Well, get on down. I'll get one of the boys to get ya some grub, ya ole fleabag."

"We got somethin' else to show you, Mr. Wade," Heyes said as he jumped down from the wagon. He tried to cover the persistent trembling that seemed to have started back at the bend of the creek. He coughed harshly as he headed to the back.

"You okay?" Wade asked. Heyes ignored him. Heyes and Curry reached the rear of the wagon together. They looked at each other sadly, and then Kid pulled back the tarp.

"Ah, hell. Damn it." Wade looked at his two newest hires. "What happened?"

"We found 'em about a mile up creek, in the tall grass, at the bend," Kid answered.

"Harry, Pete. Get a coupla men to take them into Doc's." Wade looked back to Heyes and Curry. "Come on inside. I gotta tell Evie."

"Do you know them, Mr. Wade?" Heyes asked, knowing from the man's reaction that he had recognized the two. The reforming outlaw regretted the harsh tone that he'd taken with the rancher earlier. He knew that he and the Kid felt bad about the deaths of these two; it had to be much worse for the people who knew them.

"Yeah. The woman is Janet Armstrong, the little girl is her daughter, Olivia. Her husband died last year." He shook his head. "I thought they'd gone up a ways to stay with the Hamiltons. Ida Hamilton had watched the little one so that Janet could work. Sometimes my Evie did, too. She was makin' a pretty good go of it. Aaron had left her in good stead, better'n most." They shook off as much of the wet as they could, leaving their outer garments hanging on hooks on the wide, covered porch.

"Evelyn!" John Wade called. "Have a seat, fellas." Neither man sat, both feeling too damp to risk damaging the nice upholstery in the sitting room. "Sit. It ain't gonna wither away 'cause of a little moisture."

"Thank you, sir," Kid replied.

"Don't call me that. John is fine. Mr. Wade if ya ain't comfortable. We're not fancy here, my wife just happens to like nice things, and I like my wife to be happy." Wade looked up as the woman in question entered the room. Heyes and Curry stood.

"Oh, sit, sit, though I must say you boys are after my own heart, standin' up and bein' such gentlemen." She looked at them carefully and said, "You boys look right done in. I'm glad you made it back all right." Heyes coughed, and then his body betrayed him in front of these people as he shivered. "Oh, dear," Evelyn Wade said as she scooched in between the two men seated on her sofa. She put her hand on Heyes' forehead. "Got a fever." She looked up at her husband. "He's not goin' back out there, Jonathan."

"Mrs. Wade," Heyes tried. He was interrupted by his new boss.

"Whatever you say, Evie." Wade looked from Kid to Heyes and then said, "Gentlemen, excuse us a moment." He offered his hand to his wife and said, "Come with me, dear."

She looked at him, and then she looked back at the darker one of the handsome pair. "John, let me get Mr. Smith…"

"Evie, that can wait a minute. Come with me," he said, looking into her eyes. She stood and went with her husband, what was left unsaid convincing her of the importance of whatever her husband needed to tell her.

Hannibal Heyes leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. He sat there and shook his head back and forth, once, then twice, and then again.

"Heyes…" Kid started, but his partner stopped him.

"No. Joshua. Kid, you need…" he paused, sighing tiredly and looking completely devastated. "Thaddeus…I…we…we gotta…Jesus, I can't even think anymore," Heyes said, rubbing the base of his palm against his forehead. "You…I…I know that we need to use our aliases now, but I'm just so tired I think I'm liable to slip." Heyes turned to face his partner. He smiled sadly and added, "Just remember to call me Joshua, and cover my back, will ya?"

"Sure. Don't I always?"

"You do. Have I thanked you lately for that?"

"Hey…Joshua?" Kid asked, abiding by his friend's request. "If you do, I may have to hurt you." Heyes' smile remained, but it was such a sad look on his face, when Heyes forced it like that, Kid could barely stand it. "You heard what I said earlier, right? There's nothin' we coulda done."

"I know Ki…Thaddeus. It don't make it feel any better. How old do you suppose Janet Armstrong was? Twenty-one? Twenty-two? Her daughter was what…three, four years old? Her husband died and left her alone, and then she manages to pull through, struggle to make it on her own. What is that all about? What, was there some law that she shouldn't be allowed to raise her kid and live her life? How…" Heyes started another question in what could easily be a long series of unanswerable questions, but he was stifled instead by a painful series of coughs. The Wades chose that moment to return.

"Oh, Mr. Smith. Why don't you come with me. You can lie down in Ethan's old room," she said. Her eyes were still moist…she had obviously been crying at her husband's sad news.

"Mrs. Wade, Thaddeus and I came down from the shack to help…" Heyes was interrupted by the force of nature that was Evelyn Wade.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. John?"

"Sorry, Mr. Smith. Evelyn is in charge, and what she says, goes. Besides, you sound pretty bad to me, son. Sounds as near to pneumonia as I've ever heard."

"It's not," Heyes said testily.

"But it could be if you don't rest up," Kid said.

"Besides, what good will you be to anyone if you pass out in the flooded streets of Austin?" Evelyn asked.

Heyes looked from Mrs. Wade to his partner, and then back and forth again. There was no way that he would admit how dizzy that movement had made him feel. He knew that Evelyn and Kid hadn't talked, but how unusual was it that they'd come up with almost the exact words to try to convince him to take it easy?

"That was strange," he said to Kid with a dimpled grin. It was a much better look on his partner than that sad smile from just moments before.

"Not really," Kid replied. "What is it they say? 'Great minds think alike'?"

"So, you've already had this conversation with your friend?" Evelyn asked Curry.

"Almost word-for-word, ma'am. Of course, he's far more likely to listen to a pretty lady than he is to listen to me."

"It's not too surprisin' that you both came to the same conclusion," Jonathan Wade interjected. "He looks like hell."

"You know, I am still in the room," Heyes said, sounding nothing if not like a petulant child. Kid chuckled at his friend's contrariness and the pout that it put on his friend's face.

"Come on," Kid said, grasping Heyes' elbow and helping him to his feet. "Mrs. Wade, where're we headed? I appreciate this, ma'am."

"Hey, so do I. I just don't think it's necessary, is all." Heyes frowned as he heard for himself how he must sound to everyone else. It was now the Wades' turn to laugh at him.

"Seems like you've got your hands full with this one, Mr. Jones," John said as he watched the threesome leave the room.

"He's got _his_ hands f…" Heyes didn't get very far with his tirade as it devolved into coughing.

"You just don't know when to fold, do you, Joshua?" Kid asked.

"No, it's not one of my favorite things to do, Thaddeus," Heyes answered, breathlessly but with assured frankness.

"I know. But I'm thinkin' if you don't fight Mrs. Wade's nursin', you'll most likely get better a lot faster."

"You should listen to your friend, Mr. Smith. Evie's pretty good at nursin' folks back to health. In fact, she used to help out Doc Hanson before he hired young Joe Martin," Wade noted as he headed toward the kitchen.

Heyes and Kid looked at each other. They knew a Joe Martin, young like them, from way back just before their Devil's Hole days. He was _also_ real good at healing people. He was also good at shooting. And he'd killed men, at least twice, when Heyes and Curry both thought, or rather, knew that it could have been avoided. It wasn't their business, really, and Joe Martin was a pretty common name; it didn't have to be the same guy. They would try to steer clear of him, though. There was no need to risk the chance of being recognized as Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry, especially since they'd already decided to hightail it to dryer environs as soon as they could.

Evelyn Wade watched the two men in their seemingly silent conversation. "Boys? If you don't mind…" she began. They both started at the interruption. "Mr. Jones, why don't you go out and join John for some lunch," she said as she went to a dresser and pulled out a men's dressing gown. "Mr. Smith, if you would please change into this? I'll be back in a few minutes." Heyes looked up at his partner, a worried crease in his brow.

"Joshua. Relax." Heyes scowled at his friend. "Do you want me to bring you something to eat?" Heyes turned a little green at the suggestion. Kid looked toward the door and then walked back over to stand next to his partner, who was seated on the bed. "You really don't look good, Heyes. Pneumonia is a serious thing."

"I know. I've had it before."

"I know you have. How do you feel?"

"Lousy."

"Then do as the pretty lady says. I'll help out with whatever Wade wants done." Kid said. Heyes raised his eyebrows and then Kid added, "Only if it's legal. He don't really seem the type to ask otherwise."

"No, he doesn't." Heyes squinted briefly before closing his eyes.

"Nah-uh. Change," Kid suggested, a crooked grin coming to his face as he felt the soft cotton of the nightshirt. "At least you can be comfortable."

"I'm only gonna lie down for a while. I'll be up again once you're done eating."

"No ya won't," Kid countered.

"Yes, I will."

"No, you won't."

Heyes sighed and then rubbed his forehead. God how his head ached. He massaged his temple and then lifted his eyes to his partner, ready to continue the back and forth. Mrs. Wade stood before him now. He wavered in his seated position, surprised at not seeing the person he expected to see.

"Where's Thaddeus?" he asked.

"He went in to have a bite to eat. Are you hungry?" she asked.

"Um, no. Thank you."

"You haven't changed," she said. He looked down at the gown in his hand. He was about to…Kid had warned him to do it. What happened? Had he fallen asleep sitting up?

"Yes, I think you might have," Evelyn said as she started to undo the buttons on his shirt. He pushed her hands away.

"Did I say that out loud?" he asked with a wince. "I can undress myself."

"Well, then get to it. Can I leave you for just a couple of minutes and trust you to do as you're told?"

Heyes smiled at the woman. She was petite but fiery, a woman who took little guff from anyone, men included. He figured she must have raised sons.

"Four of them," she said. "Dear, that's the third time you've drifted off. Do you want my help or not?"

"No. Um, ma'am. I'll do it now," Heyes said. He was coming to the realization that he was probably sicker than he wanted to admit, and he was definitely more tired than he'd been in a long, long time. He finished undressing, letting his wet, dirty clothes fall to the floor. He kicked them into a pile, too tired to do anything more. He put the nightshirt on and then sat down again on the bed. He closed his eyes.

_**A Firestorm a Comin'**_

When he opened his eyes next, he felt hot. He looked to his right and saw his partner dozing in a chair that had been pulled closer to the bed. He reached out and rubbed Kid's arm to wake him. The small action had taken more effort than it should have, but he hated the thought of Kid getting a crick in his neck from the position he was in.

"Hey," Curry said, the worry in his eyes not the least bit hidden by the smile on his face.

"Yer gonna have a stiff neck if ya keep doin' that," Heyes warned, his eyes blinking tiredly, staying more closed than open.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kid answered as he pulled the cloth from the sick man's head, rinsed it in the bowl on the nightstand and then replaced it on Heyes' forehead. His partner hummed with pleasure at its coolness. "You slept some. That's good." Kid noted what a bad sign it was that Heyes accepted the fussing now with no hint of complaint. Hannibal Heyes was a smart man, and despite their conversation earlier, he really did know when to fold, especially when the stakes were so serious.

Heyes looked out the window. It was dark. "Some?" he asked. "How long?"

"Near seven hours."

"Yer kiddin'?" Heyes asked, incredulous.

"Nope."

"You'd think I'd feel better, then."

"Well, you spiked a pretty high fever, partner. Doubt you'll be feelin' much better 'til that breaks."

"Mmm. Last thing I r'member is arguin' with you 'bout whether I was gonna get back up aft'r you had lunch."

"Well, guess I won that argument," Kid said, only a little pleased with himself.

"Oh, wait. I think I had a conv'sation…no, maybe I dreamed that," Heyes said, looking confused, sounding tired.

"What?"

"I don't r'member changin' into this shirt, but I have this picture in my head of sittin' here on the bed with it on."

"Yeah, that happened. Mrs. Wade found you that way. Asleep."

"'s embarrassing," Heyes slurred. He was heading back to sleep.

"Nah. Mrs. Wade's a nice lady. She's just glad to help. I think she misses her sons," Kid said as he watched his partner fall back to sleep. "Get better, Heyes," he said softly. Kid had heard Evelyn and John talking about calling for the doctor if Heyes' fever didn't break overnight. He knew they had to do it, but he worried that with all the work the doctor surely had on his plate, that he might send Joe Martin in his place. And if it was the Joe Martin that they knew, what would happen then?

When Evelyn had found Heyes 'sleeping sitting up', as she put it, she was easily able to get him to a prone position. She'd worried – he seemed nearly unconscious rather than just sleeping – and her worry grew as the day grew long. Kid's partner's condition seemed to deteriorate quickly once he'd given in to how bad he'd felt. Heyes was a fighter, they both were. They'd been forced into toughness at an early age. Heyes was far tougher than he appeared and he'd managed to fight off the negative effects of this illness for so long that his body had finally taken over from what his mind and his heart had planned. Heyes hated it when a plan was foiled. Kid was glad to see he wasn't fighting it anymore, at least this time. They were safe here, under Jonathan Wade's roof, at least for the time being.

After lunch, Kid had gone out with John Wade to do another check on John and Evelyn's neighbors. Wade had sent out six two-man teams to assure that what happened to Janet Armstrong and her child did not happen to any more of his friends. It had been a long afternoon, with each pair of men helping fortify creek banks, sandbagging when it looked like it would do some good, and moving people out if it appeared that flooding was bound to overrun their homes. Neighbors whose places sat higher on hillocks and rises offered their fellow Texans sanctuary to ride out the storm. Kid Curry felt a warmth come over him as he watched these folks…their shared brotherhood in time of need and their unfailing neighborliness seemed abiding and true. It wasn't something he was all that used to seeing in his life.

The day's work was finally done, and though no one would say it out loud, it seemed that the rain had let up, just barely. The morning would be looked forward to with great anticipation with the chance that the storm that had settled over west-central Texas for far too long would finally give up the ghost and move on. Surely they could use some of this rain up in the Oklahoma territory, or in Kansas. The Wades had the means to absorb their losses from the extensive flooding. It was the people with far less to lose whose losses would be felt the most.

"How is he?" Evelyn asked quietly as she entered the room. Her husband remained back, leaning up against the doorjamb.

"Mrs. Wade, Mr. Wade," Kid said, always true to the manners he'd been taught as a small boy. "About the same," he said sadly. "He woke up for a minute. He's kind of embarrassed that you had to put him to bed."

Evelyn laughed. "And somehow you felt the need to tell him about that?" she asked, knowing that the relationship between these two was as close as brothers; as a mother of four boys she had quite a bit of familiarity witnessing those kinds of interactions.

"Well, I didn't actually tell him that. My partner's smart and observant, even when he's not thinkin' too clearly. He figured it out."

"I hope you didn't chide him too much about it," Evelyn said as she sat on the edge of the bed. She felt Heyes' cheeks and then pushed the sweaty hair from his temple, feeling the still-rising warmth. She shook her head, letting out a quiet, "Tsk."

"Naw, I didn't get a chance. Like I said, he was only awake for a minute."

"But you would have if you'd had the chance?" she asked with a sly grin.

"So would he have, ma'am, if things were reversed."

Evelyn smiled knowingly as she stood up and walked to the door, pausing briefly to grasp Kid's shoulder with affection. It was odd, this woman, the effect she had on him, and obviously the effect she had on his partner, who was never easily lassoed into resting when sick. They had never felt easy around women, older women, rather, who chose to show them comfort, a relic of the loss of their families in the border wars. They had been so young. Bleeding Kansas seemed a lifetime ago, but also like it'd happened just yesterday; its miserable remnants would likely be a wound to their souls until their dying breaths. Somehow, Evelyn Wade's touch didn't sting the way that touch usually did.

"Jonathan, we need to make sure someone's ready to ride into Doc Hanson's at a moment's notice," Evelyn said to her husband.

"Pete and Alex both retired early. They'll be ready to head out right quick if needs be." Kid put his elbows on his knees and then lowered his head into his hands as he listened to the conversation.

Evelyn Wade looked at her husband with sad, sympathetic eyes and then came back to the sorrowful blond, putting her hands on each shoulder and massaging them gently from behind the chair. "It's just a precaution, Mr. Jones." Kid nodded his head in understanding, and then shook his head back and forth. Evelyn leaned over his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

Kid looked up and to the side, forcing a grin for the pretty, older woman. She had treated the two of them like family the moment they'd met. He suspected that was her way with everybody. The world could use more people like Evelyn Wade.

"It's just…we…I've counted on him to be there ever since we were kids. Even when we were separated, I could always count on him to help me. I'd talk things through in my head, which he taught me about, and then I'd wonder, 'What would He…he do?'" Kid explained, catching himself before he uttered his partner's real surname. "He had pneumonia once before, you know."

"Well, no, I didn't, but we don't know for sure that he has it now," Evelyn said softly behind him.

"It's close enough. And he got real close to dyin' that time." Kid stopped talking, too overcome to go on. He shouldn't open up to people like this - that was another thing that his partner had taught him; it was dangerous for everyone around them when a posse or outlaws or bounty hunters found their trail. Don't get too close. Don't stay too long. He looked at his friend as he slept, and occasionally he'd shake his head, as though silently telling his partner, 'Don't die'.

"Mr. Jones, we're gonna take real good care of him. I've taken care of four boys, all grown now with families of their own, my husband and any number of ranch hands, cowboys and strangers just passin' through. I've never lost one, and I'm certainly not going to start now." She looked at Kid, still leaning over his shoulder. She shook him on both shoulders and said, "Are we clear on that?"

Kid snorted lightly and said, "Yep. Crystal clear, ma'am." And then, surprisingly, Kid Curry let out a real laugh.

"What's so funny?" Evelyn asked as she came around to the front of the chair, her hands resting on her waist, a stand of defiance if Kid ever saw one.

"I was just thinkin' that it'd be fun to see you play my partner in a game of poker." He looked up, blue eyes wide, horrified that he'd said what he just did. It wasn't really something anyone would presume of a fine and decent lady like Evelyn Wade. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to suggest that you played poker or nothin'." A huge guffaw was heard from the door.

"Ssssh! Jonathan," Evelyn said in a stern whisper. "You'll wake the boy." She turned to the Kid. "You should head to bed yourself."

"I will. Soon, though I think I'll just sleep in this chair of you don't mind. Plus, I think there's a story behind that laugh, Mr. Wade, that I wouldn't mind hearin'."

"Jonathan, go have a cup of coffee with Mr. Jones, tell him your…story," she said, saying it in such a way to convince Curry it would be worth staying up for. "I'm just going to sit here for a while with your friend."

"I appreciate that, ma'am," Kid said as he stood and stretched.

"Come on. How about another piece of Evie's fantastic apple pie and some coffee," John Wade suggested as Kid joined him at the door. Wade put his arm around Kid's shoulder and said, "Let me tell ya 'bout this card sharp I know…"

Evelyn smiled broadly as her husband began to tell his tale. The smile didn't last long as the young man before her started to fret in his sleep. She stood up to close the door, not wanting the other one to hear his friend's disturbed dreams as he started talking, but saying nothing. Evelyn sat on the bed again, took the cloth and set it in the cool bowl of water once more. "Oh, Joshua. You need to get better. I don't believe that young Thaddeus would survive without you. He loves you very much, dear." She leaned down close, her lips near his ear. "Fight. I know you want to. Try hard." She hugged him as best she could. She leaned back up and said to herself, "I would miss you, too. How you two have grown on an old lady in such a short time."

In the kitchen, Curry asked John Wade, "How did you find out about Mrs. Wade's, um, special skill?" It had been pretty obvious to the Kid who the card sharp in question was, and though what was going on in the other room held far more interest to the reformed outlaw, he knew he needed to do something to occupy his time and stave off that feeling of helplessness that lingered just on the edge of his consciousness.

John laughed. "Well, we have a poker game here once a month. Small stakes. Just for fun. Evie was bringing drinks out, and food, and making sure everyone was comfortable, like she does. When she wasn't busy, she sat behind me, knitting. At least I thought she was knitting. Then one night, after all the men went home, she gave me a rundown on all the things I did wrong over the course of the night. The woman has a near photographic memory," Wade explained in awe.

"So does my partner," Kid said with an amused grin.

"Well, then we probably should have ourselves a game before you two leave. It'll have to be on the hush-hush; Evie says it's not ladylike for a woman to play poker, leastwise not with a table full o' men."

"We won't tell anybody."

"I trust ya," John said, as though Kid truly was a member of Wade's trusted inner circle. "Well, I'll tell ya, by the time she was done tellin' me all I done wrong, and what I shoulda done, and calculating how much I woulda won in place of all that I lost, well," he laughed, "a whole lotta flies could have found a home in my mouth. Dumbfounded, I was. That's when I realized my wife had more than just a pretty head on her shoulders. She's handled all of the financial affairs of the ranch ever since that day. And she did that while raisin' four boys. She's a damned impressive lady."

"She's special. She's about the nicest person I've ever met," Kid said, almost smothering the last word with a yawn.

"She's the nicest person you'll ever meet. It's all genuine. Most people have at least the potential for a little larceny, a little lyin', some cheatin'." Kid looked Wade in the eye, even though it was hard to, knowing his and Heyes' pasts. "Not Evie. Evie's good as gold."

"And pretty."

"Hah!" Wade said. "And pretty. And smart." The rancher sat back in his chair. "Yeah, I got real lucky with that one."

"I reckon your sons' wives have a heck of a time sometimes livin' up to that?"

"Hah!" Wade offered heartily once again. "You have no idea. But Evie is…Evie. She puts them all at ease. It's impossible not to like the woman."

"I believe that." Another yawn.

"Mr. Jones, I think it's time to get to bed. It's been a long day."

"That it has been, Mr. Wade." The door to Ethan's old room swung open.

"Evie?" John asked.

"Jonathan, I think we should get Doc Hanson here." The Kid locked eyes with Evelyn briefly, the look spurring him on in his rush to get past her and into his partner's room.

"Evie?" John asked as he followed her into the small first floor bedroom.

"His temperature has gone up, he's burning up. And I think the cough is settling in his lungs. He hasn't coughed near enough to work it out these last hours."

They watched as Kid sat next to his friend. He looked over at the Wades and said, "He's too hot."

"I know, dear." Evelyn turned to her husband. "Jonathan, go ahead and wake Pete and Alex. Send Pete, he's the faster rider. And you and Alex need to go fetch some ice, right quick." John Wade kissed his wife's forehead and then he was gone.

Evelyn walked over to Kid. "Remember, we said we might need to do this."

"I know."

"I'm going to go get some fresh water from the well. It'll be real cold there. I'll be right back." Kid didn't answer, and Heyes continued to mumble occasionally in his fevered sleep.

The next couple of hours felt like torture to Kid Curry. Nothing he or Evelyn did seemed to do much good, using the wet cloth to keep Heyes' face and neck and chest cool. Finally, John and Alex returned with the ice, and that took a while to get going with the ice pick. They doubled up cloths and filled them with ice, placing them near the 'pulse points' Evelyn had called them, at Heyes' neck, his wrists, his armpits, even near his privates. It didn't take long for his partner to start shivering violently. Evelyn had John gather up extra blankets and pretty soon Heyes looked like he was soon to be mummified, in more ways than one. He was so pale, except for the splashes of color from the fever.

Close to two hours later Pete returned. He didn't have Doc Hanson with him. Joe Martin walked in the room. When he saw the faces of the two men before him, his stride faltered. He paused briefly, looking down to the floor…away from Kid Curry's penetrating stare, but quickly recovered and went to the bed when he saw the condition of Hannibal Heyes.

"Joe, thanks for coming," John Wade said. "Where's Doc?"

"H…He, um, Annabeth Lawson's havin' her baby. And we've got two folks in the office who need watchin'. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Joe," Evelyn said. "We're glad you're here. Joe, this is Thaddeus Jones, and the one in bed is Joshua Smith. He's been sick for a while, but he seems to have taken a turn for the worse since this afternoon."

Joe and Kid looked at each other. It was the same Joe Martin. Kid swore that he and his partner were doomed to bad luck.

"Howdy, Mr., uh, Jones," Joe said as he placed his bag on the bed and a large sack on the floor. He pulled the chair closer to the bed and went straight to work, knowing that he had Kid Curry boring a hole in the back of his head. "Pete told me a little about what to expect before I left the office. When did you first notice he was sick?" he asked as he proceeded with a physical examination. "Mr. Smith, can you hear me?" he asked loudly, trying to wake his ill patient. "Evelyn, can I get some more light?"

"I'll get it, Evie," John said.

Curry walked to the other side of the bed so that he could keep an eye on Joe Martin. He answered, "I first heard him coughin' last night. It didn't seem too bad at first, but you know He…" Kid stopped, realizing that Evelyn was still with them and John would be back any moment. He had almost slipped and said Heyes' name out loud. Plus, he realized that he'd started to talk to this man with a familiarity that shouldn't have been, if they'd never really met before. He needed to be more careful, stay more alert, especially now with Joe Martin there. He felt decidedly off-kilter, dealing with Joe without his partner awake to help him. "He tends to hide his symptoms." Joe looked at Kid, as though remembering how Hannibal Heyes was, back then. "He swallowed some mud the night before."

Joe nodded, and then opened the bag. "I think he's probably got a combination of things going on here. He's got an infection, probably from takin' in that mud. Was it river water mud?" Wade stepped back in with two additional oil lamps.

"No, it was up near the line shack, 'bout halfway up to the new property line. But it sure wasn't clean. Old horse and cow dung, deer droppings…who knows," Kid answered worriedly.

"I see. Well, he's got a pretty bad cold, I think he got some nasties from the mud…"

"Nasties?" Kid asked.

"Oh, um, I mean, an infection."

"Joe works with children," Evelyn said in explanation. Kid nodded his understanding to Evelyn, and then stared down at Joe once more.

"I hear some rales in his left lung."

"Rales?" Kid asked, again not understanding what Joe was trying to say.

"Oh. Sorry. That's what, um, we call the abnormal sounds in the chest. That is, not normal breathing sounds. He's got some fluid in his left lung."

"And that can lead to pneumonia?" Curry asked, already knowing the answer this time.

"It can, and that can lead to pleurisy, and worse, but we can do some things that will hopefully stop that from happening." Joe opened his bag and pulled out a vial, and then a cloth that had been folded carefully. "Evelyn, could you please take one tablespoon of this, all of these ingredients," he instructed, noting the items in the cloth, "crush these tablets and then get one cup of water. Get the water boiling first, and then add all of the ingredients and boil it for one minute. Let it cool to room temperature, sift out the bits, and then bring it in."

"Of course, Joe. I'll be right back. Jonathan, could you come and get some coffee for Joe and Mr. Jones?" The Wades left the room.

"Thank you, Evelyn," Joe called.

"Joe, what is all of that stuff?" Kid asked.

"I thought you might ask me something else," Joe Martin replied nervously.

"We'll get to that."

"Right. Well, there's some plants and herbs and then a compound of, well, the name won't mean much to you; it hardly means anything to me. But Doc Hanson's been reading up on studies bein' done in France, and he's been using that research, with some basic healing mixtures he'd gotten from a Comanche medicine man." Kid frowned at that – not the Indian reference, but the other…he wasn't too sure his partner would appreciate being experimented on.

"Yer comfortable with this?" Kid asked.

"I've seen folks in bad shape make it after takin' this stuff," Joe answered.

Curry eyed Joe Martin warily, not sure whether he should really trust this man. It was his best friend's life they were playing with here. This was serious business, and having a man tend to Heyes who had killed in the past didn't seem to go hand-in-hand with the oath that doctors were supposed to abide by. Of course, Joe Martin wasn't a doctor, either.

"Look, Kid," Joe started.

"Don't call me that. I'm Thaddeus Jones. He's Joshua Smith."

"S…Sorry. I, well, I wanted you to know that I gave up my…well…I'm not like I was. I've cleaned up my act. I been here for almost a year now. I work for the doc, and I help out at the school…"

"The school? Doin' what?" Curry didn't like to think about a killer being so close to kids like that.

"W…Well, I, um, I teach Spanish, part-time. Uh, John and some of the other ranchers thought it would be good for relations with the Mexicans if, well, future generations would speak to each other. I also have a night class with adults. Evelyn was one of my star pupils. I also work with some of the Mexican parents, helping them with English. And I help with some of the extra-curricular stuff at the school."

"Extra cur what?" Kid asked.

"Outside the classroom stuff. The kids do skits, concerts, stuff like that."

"Is that so? I assume nobody knows what you done…before."

"No. No, they don't. And, um, I'm engaged, to a nice girl. She's from the East. Her name is Debbie. Her ma and pa own the general store in town."

"Congratulations," Kid said sarcastically.

"Look. I'm only here to help and then I'll go. I don't want to cause you no trouble. John says that you two have been helpin' him. He likes ya, and, well, I like and admire Mr. and Mrs. Wade. I know you aren't here to hurt 'em."

"No, we're not, Joe. We ain't never hurt anyone."

Joe put his head down and started pulling out something from the canvas sack. "I'm not sure you can exactly say that," he offered quietly.

"All right," Kid said as he waited for Joe to raise his head again. He needed Joe to see his eyes, to know the seriousness of what he had to say. When Joe looked up, finally, Kid Curry's stare was enough to turn the recipient of that stare to stone. "Let me re-phrase, Joe. We ain't never killed anyone."

"I know." Joe looked down again and then back up to Curry. "I'm not gonna say nothin'."

"Good," Kid replied. "What about him?" he asked, cocking his head to his sick partner.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Are you gonna do what you can to help him?"

Joe Martin, in any other situation, with any other person, would have stood up and begun to defend his honor. He had been trying so hard to redeem himself by his actions these last couple of years and, in his own eyes, and by his own measure, he thought he'd done a pretty decent job of it. But Kid Curry knew of the dishonorable things he'd done in his life. He knew how any defense would sound to Curry, someone who was still going from place to place, drifting from town to town, using aliases. These were different aliases than Joe remembered, though it had been a long time since his association with Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes; it was possible they'd been forced to retire old aliases and adopt new ones. It happened in that line of work.

"Kid…um, sorry, Thaddeus, I will do everything I can. You never gave me up back then, even though you had cause. A man doesn't forget that kinda thing."

Curry looked at Martin closely, hoping that he was doing the right thing, entrusting his partner's well-being in the hands of someone like Joe Martin. He sensed that he could, that it would be okay to trust Joe Martin…_this_ Joe Martin. It wasn't like he had other options.

"I'm gonna tell you somethin', Joe. You gotta promise me you won't tell Hey…you won't tell Joshua I told you. And you gotta keep it to yourself. No one can know this. Not the Wades, not your fiancée. But I feel like I gotta tell you, to make sure you understand the importance of what you're doin', saving him."

"Thaddeus, everybody I try to help I try my best on."

"I know you think that, Joe, but isn't it maybe possible," Kid said, grimacing as he said the next part, "just a little, that knowing who he is, you might not try as hard? I mean, would you try harder to save Mr. and Mrs. Wade, or the mayor, or your girl, than you would some outlaw?"

Joe blinked. Kid would say he looked a little stunned at first, but then Joe Martin grew angry.

"First, he ain't just any outlaw. We used to be friends," he said, inferring that things said over the last few minutes might have had more to do with him referring to that friendship in the past than anything that might have happened years ago. "Second, you are wrong. I may not be a doctor, but I take the job of helping people very serious."

Kid nodded, admiring the force, the passion, of Joe's reply. "I appreciate that. But you'll forgive me if I lean on the side of caution this time. He…" Kid's voice caught, the emotion and worry catching up to him like a steam engine barreling down the tracks. "He means the world to me. I just need you to _know_ that he's worth savin'." Kid looked Joe in the eyes. "You were right, he ain't just any outlaw. In fact, we ain't done anything illegal in goin' on nine months. We've been workin' towards an amnesty. Lom Trevors…remember him?" Kid asked.

"Yes."

"Lom's been workin' with the governor. We have to stay outta trouble 'til the governor decides we earned amnesty."

Joe looked down at the piece of equipment he'd pulled from the bag and then back up to the Kid. "Really? Amnesty? That's great. I mean," he said, thinking about his own situation as he spoke, "how great it'll be when you're in the clear. You'll be forgiven all those things you did. That's really, really…" he paused, and then added, "I'm happy for ya. For both of ya."

Kid could see that the idea of amnesty seemed to have deflated Joe, just a little bit.

"You know, amnesty only works for forgivin' stuff that is known. Nobody knows about what you did," Kid reminded the man he and Heyes knew so long ago.

"Except for me. And you and He…Joshua. And a couple of others…Nate, Luthor…" Joe noted.

"Are they still alive? I ain't heard from any of 'em…ain't Luthor in prison?" Kid asked.

"I don't know." Joe fiddled with the small machine.

Kid said quietly, "You understand what I'm sayin', dontcha Joe? He's a good man, he is an honorable man, and he's working real hard to make up for his past. He's worthy of your help."

"I know." Joe smiled briefly. "You really didn't have to make that long, fancy speech." Joe Martin knew that Kid Curry wasn't the talker of the pair. "I really did know." The conversation was interrupted by Evelyn Wade.

"Joe, here you go." She offered the 'medicine' in a mug. John Wade came in and handed Kid his coffee, and set Joe's down on the night stand.

Martin accepted the cup from Evelyn and took a whiff, and then moved the mug in a circular motion in order to see its contents.

"That's fine, Evelyn. Okay, Thaddeus. Here comes the hard part. We gotta get Joshua to drink this."

"How?"

"Well, you gotta wake him up."

"Joe, we been tryin' that. He's out."

"No. You're just being too nice. I checked his eyes. He's just sleeping deep. You may need to jostle him, might have to slap him harder than you like."

"That's just great. Why don't you do it?"

"Well, I think it'll go over better, once he realizes what happened, if it comes from a friend." Kid looked at Joe. Joe, Evelyn, and John could all see how reluctant the Kid was to cause his friend more pain or discomfort. "I should mention that this part, getting him to drink this, is not going to be the hardest part for you."

Kid turned his head and squinted his eyes. "For me?" Kid asked, putting his hand up against his chest for emphasis.

"Uh, yeah. This thing, this…contraption? You need to get him up four times a day, get him to breathe into this thing. It'll stir up the mucous in his chest. That, and more doses of this concoction, and lots of hot tea."

"Is that right?" Kid asked.

"Joe, his stomach has been unsettled. He might not keep that down," Evelyn Wade said from behind the chair.

"Well, we'll hope that one of those ingredients from the Comanche does what it's supposed to do. It's supposed to help with the nausea. He's gonna be coughing more, and sleeping in between. Today and tomorrow, just give him this stuff and tea. Only let him up to use the chamber pot, and I'll show you how to prop him up…he shouldn't sleep flat on his back, and preferably not on his side. He should lie on his back, propped up, in an almost sitting position."

"Hey…He won't like that. Says he can't truly fall asleep like that, though he manages to do it in a bouncy stage. And he ain't too fond of usin' chamber pots."

Evelyn smiled. "Mr. Jones, when he's strong enough he can walk to use the water closet, but for now he's going to be so tired he'd probably sleep through a sandstorm and a stampede combined."

"I suppose that's so." He looked from Joe to Evelyn and then to John. "You know, if it's gonna be you and me against Joshua, I reckon you oughta call me Thaddeus. You, too, Mr. Wade." The older couple smiled at the young man, so visibly shaken by his friend's condition. "I guess I oughta get him up. Wish me luck." Kid sat on the bed and put his hand on Heyes' chest. "Joshua, wake up."

"He's very sound asleep," Joe reminded. "You'll need to talk louder, nearly yell. You can touch him there, but stay on the right side…that might aggravate the left lung."

"Will it wake him up?" Kid asked irritably.

"It might," Joe said. He looked Kid in the eyes, the look telling the blue-eyed partner that he shouldn't put any pressure on the left side if he could help it.

"Joshua."

"Louder," Joe directed.

"Do you wanna do this?" Kid asked, his irritation rising.

"No. Sorry. But…louder," Joe said, ending with a sad, tight-lipped grin.

"Joshua, wake up!" A faint groan came from the prone man. "That's right. Wake up, Joshua! It's me, Thaddeus! I need you to wake up." That attempt was greeted with – another groan.

"That's good, he's coming around," Joe encouraged.

Kid looked up at the three other concerned faces in the room. "Joshua!" He took his left hand and slapped Hannibal Heyes – harder than he'd planned. "Damn," he said softly.

It worked.

"Did you…" Heyes started. He coughed before he could say anything else.

"Yes, I did. I need you to drink this." Kid put the cup up to his friend's lips. Heyes pushed his head back into the pillow, keeping his mouth closed.

"Why'd you hit me?"

"Because you wouldn't wake up."

"Seems an odd way to treat the sick." Joe Martin laughed lightly. It brought back memories of what fun these two could be. Evelyn and John, they laughed more heartily. Kid wasn't laughing.

"If you don't drink this soon, I'm gonna punch ya instead o' just slappin' ya."

"You need to work on your bedside manner, Thaddeus. Mrs. Wade," Heyes continued as he turned his head toward where he'd heard the laughter. He coughed, and prepared to continue when he was stopped by the sight of the man in the chair. For all that Heyes seemed with it now, it was obvious that he was still tired as hell. His eyes blinked in order to get this new person into focus. He suddenly had a realization of who this person might be. "Hey, Doc," he said, and then, "Mrs. Wade? Does it make any sense for me to drink this when it's most likely that it's gonna come right back up?" Heyes shivered and then coughed and waited for a reply.

"Well, the Doc's concoction is supposed to have something to help with that sick feeling," she answered in a motherly tone.

"Is that right?" Heyes said as he looked again at the man seated in the chair. He blinked several times, and then pulled his hands from under the blanket to rub his eyes. He shivered again and quickly put his hands back under the warm bed covers.

"Joshua, just drink it. Joe says that there's some herb or something in the mixture that's supposed to help settle your stomach. It's an old Comanche remedy." Heyes had turned to look at Kid while he spoke, but the mention of this 'Joe' had caught his attention. They'd been talking about a Joe recently, hadn't they?

"Joe?" Heyes asked.

"Yeah, Joshua. I'm Joe Martin. Doc Hanson's got his hands full, so I've been lookin' in on people. How're you feeling?" Joe asked, hopeful that Heyes wasn't so far out of it that he would let his little secret out of the bag.

"Hello," Heyes said. He turned to his partner, who returned a warm but warning smile. Heyes' lids were getting heavy. Too much thinking. Too much effort.

"Joshua, stay awake," Joe instructed his patient. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great."

"I think we all know that. Can you describe _how_ you feel?"

"Um, coughing. Hurts to cough. Breathing hurts, too." Heyes' lids started to close, but he forced them to stay open. "Crazy tired." His eyes stayed closed this time.

"Now, hold on, Joshua. Drink this first," Kid reminded his partner.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Kid held the cup and Heyes downed it all.

"Okay?" Kid asked.

"I guess. Can I sleep now?" Kid looked guiltily at Joe and Heyes knew the answer.

"Um, not just yet. Uh, Joe? Can you help me sit him up?"

"Sit me up?" the sick man asked. "Why?"

"It'll be better for your recovery," Joe explained.

"You need to breathe into this thing," Kid said as he placed the mask with a bellows-looking attachment on Heyes' lap. "It's s'posed to help break up the stuff in your lungs so that you don't get pneumonia."

"Is that right?" Heyes asked. Joe laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Oh. Sorry. It's just that Thaddeus had the same exact reaction when I told him what this thing was for." Heyes looked at Kid and they both smiled; they knew that they sometimes sounded like an old married couple, saying the same things at once, finishing each others' thoughts. It was a price worth paying; knowing each other so well had worked to their advantage far more than it would ever work against them.

"Is that the medical term? You've both called it that. 'This thing'?" Heyes asked with a dimpled grin which quickly dissolved into a cough. His eyes were blinking tiredly.

"No. Huh," Joe answered with a nervous laugh. "Doc hasn't named it yet."

"Joshua!" Kid yelled. Heyes jumped. "Sorry, but Joe needs to describe what you have to do with this…thing," Kid said, smiling as he used the generic description once more.

"Sorry."

"That's okay. I know you're tired. Just stay awake for a little longer, do this therapy, and then you can sleep," Joe assured his old acquaintance.

"'Kay."

"You need to do ten deep breaths into this machine. You'll need to do this four times a day," Joe explained. "Thaddeus or Evelyn will help you. Each time you do it, you need to add two repetitions."

Heyes stared at Joe, no longer blinking. He now seemed wide awake. He turned to the Kid. "Thaddeus?"

"Joshua?"

"Joe, Thaddeus," Heyes said and then coughed. "I hardly have enough air to get through…" he paused for some more coughing, "a sentence. How'm I supposed to do this? You _want_ me to pass out?"

"You won't pass out," Joe assured him.

"Stop bein' a baby," Kid said.

"Stop...what!" Heyes started to challenge, definitely not happy about being called a baby in front of all these people, but once again he was stopped short, enveloped in a round of painful, wracking coughs. He placed his hand over his chest, as though the action would stop his pained lungs from escaping, as they were clearly unhappy where they were, considering their current predicament.

"All this coughing is good," Joe explained.

"Feels great, Joe," Heyes said, annoyed with, well, just about everyone in the room.

"Would you gentlemen please leave the room for a few minutes? Mr. Smith and I need to talk," Evelyn explained as she went to the far side of the bed, took Kid by the elbow and led him to the door. Joe stood quickly and followed. Evelyn looked up to her husband. "I'll come get you when I'm done."

"Be gentle, Evie." He smiled at his wife and then smiled sadly at Heyes. Heyes looked over worriedly as Evelyn closed the door and turned back to him.

"Joshua," Evelyn said as she sat in the chair. She was very close to the ill man, and she was intent to have him listen to her. "Stay awake and listen to me. I know that I don't need to tell you this, but your friend has been worried sick about you. And so has Jonathan and so have I. But I think I know you well enough, even after this short time, to know that a lot of your complaining is just for show. I also think that you don't want Thaddeus to see you, or rather, perceive you, as being weak. Being sick does not make you weak, Joshua. And seeing you get better is probably the best medicine for both of you. Now, I don't know what it is that the two of you are hiding in your pasts, but you are hiding. You should not think that we don't know that. We didn't hear it from anyone. Mac didn't drop any hints. It's just a feeling that we have. For two nice, young, gentle gentlemen to become drifters as you have, there must be a reason. A serious reason. I don't think you want Thaddeus to have to drift out there alone. So no matter how hard this is for you to do, I know that you will do it." Evelyn looked into Heyes' eyes and saw that her words had hit the right chord. He smiled that beautiful smile, with the killer dimple. She asked, "Are we clear?"

The dimple seemed to grow larger as he answered. "Crystal clear, ma'am."

Evelyn put her head back with a laugh and said, "Goodness gracious, you two. And that is another hint isn't it?"

"What's that?" Heyes asked, confused.

"That two such nice boys have not settled down with some pretty wives and started making beautiful babies. Whatever you did in your past, I hope that you will find a chance to finally find your place. Joe Martin did. A home is important."

"I know it is, Mrs. Wade. Joe Martin?"

"Well, I don't know for sure what he was running from any more than I know what you boys are trying to leave behind. But there is a sadness about his past, a regret…I don't know. It took a while to get him to come out of his shell. Heavens, it took near six months to get him to leave Doc Hanson's office. But we worked on it."

"We?" Heyes asked, curious about how this community had taken Joe Martin and molded him into someone completely different.

"Well, a few of us ladies figured it was a waste of good, young stock for Joe not to get out and…meet some of the young girls. Turns out he found what he wanted the very first day – the lovely Debbie. And he now has a home here."

"We both had homes, once, Thaddeus and me. A long time ago."

"I'm not talking about then. Our time as children is another lifetime. We don't control our destiny then. But we do control it as we grow older."

"Thaddeus and I have figured that out. It took us a while…"

"Well, then you're moving in the right direction." Heyes coughed as he nodded his head in assent at Evelyn's last comment. "And now," she said as she took the breathing mask and put it to Heyes' face, "we'll move a little closer."

Thirty minutes later Evelyn left the bedroom and joined the three men in the living room.

"How is he?" Kid asked.

"He's exhausted and sleeping. I worked with him on the breathing…"

"We heard," Joe said. "The coughing," he explained.

"Yes, poor thing. Thaddeus, you should get to bed. It's near two in the morning," Evelyn told the group.

"It is?"

"Joshua asked me the time, that's the only reason that I know, dear."

"Of course he did," Kid said with a grin.

Evelyn laughed. "Top of the stairs, to the right. You can stay in James' old room. You can clean up in the downstairs bath. I'll show you." Evelyn turned to Joe Martin. "You are a dear to have come and to have stayed so long. Thank you. And thank Doc Hanson for me."

"I will Evelyn." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "I left the preparations for four more treatments. Two today and two tomorrow. The breathing apparatus should be used today and tomorrow. Today just the mixture and tea. Tomorrow you can start him on clear broth. He should be good to start eating again by later tomorrow. But until then, he'll probably feel worse before he feels better. I doubt he'll be hungry until then. He shouldn't give you any trouble."

"He won't. He never has an appetite when he's sick." Kid looked at Joe; Martin had remembered that from their time together long ago. Kid was beginning to see how caring Joe Martin was, now, but also back then for him to have remembered that about Heyes.

"We'll follow your instructions, Joe. Thank you, again," Evelyn said once more.

"I'll see you back to town," John Wade said.

"You don't have to do that, John. I know my way."

"Forget it, Joe. It's a different landscape out there now than it was just yesterday. I'll get Pete or Alex to ride with us so that none of us is riding alone."

"Thanks. I appreciate the company," Joe said.

Kid offered his hand to Joe Martin. "Thanks, for what you've done for Joshua."

"It was my pleasure." Joe smiled a little uncomfortably at the handshake and then said, "I'll check with the doc to see if he can come out and follow-up with Joshua's progress."

"That's fine," Kid said, knowing that Joe was offering the doctor's services so as not to make things more uncomfortable for all by having to face each other again. "But if the doc's busy, I'm sure Joshua won't mind bein' checked on by you."

Joe held Kid's gaze and then nodded, just barely, acknowledging the trust that the statement held. "Thanks." Kid then looked at Evelyn. It seemed as though she knew something…as though she was aware of Joe's past, but that she had forgiven him what he'd done. Could it be she knew about him? And what would compel a woman to forgive a man who had killed two people in cold blood? There was obviously something that Joe had shown her that made her make that leap of faith for him, no matter whether she ever knew what he had done.

Kid watched John and Joe leave. Evelyn walked up to him and asked, "Are you just going to stand there until you drop?"

"No, probably not."

"Then what will you be doing next, Mr. Jones?"

"Well, Mrs. Wade, I thought I might get cleaned up and head to bed. I thought I might check in on Joshua first, though."

"Of course you will. Don't be long, and don't wake him, though I seriously doubt anything will be waking the boy tonight, except maybe that wretched coughing."

"Joe said the coughing was good," Kid said with a frown.

"Oh, it is, dear," Evelyn assured him, patting his chest in motherly comfort. "That doesn't make it any easier to hear. It's just about the worst sound a mother can hear."

"You're not his mother," Kid said with no accusation, just a warm, friendly tone.

"Today, I feel like I am. Yours, too. So, see your friend, get cleaned up, and then off to bed."

"Yes, ma'am." Kid turned and headed to Heyes' room.

"So sweet," Evelyn said softly as she watched the faithful friend return to his partner's side.

_**A Lull in the Storm**_

The next morning, Kid walked into Heyes' room to find Evelyn helping with the breathing therapy. He heard Evelyn say 'just four more', but Kid didn't see how Heyes was going to make it to that number. He looked terrible. He was sweating something awful – had his fever risen? – and he was coughing a lot in between each breath into the mask. He moved the mask as he saw his partner and said, "Mornin'." Evelyn slapped him on the shoulder and put the mask back in place.

"Mornin'," Kid returned. "How's it going today, Mrs. Wade?" he asked, making sure to direct the question to the one other person in the room who was truly able to answer it.

"Well, Mr. Smith was having a terrible coughing spell this morning," she answered. 'Worse than right now?' Kid thought worriedly, "so we decided to start the medication and the breathing therapy now." She smiled as she counted down. "Two more," she said to Heyes. "You're still here?" she asked the Kid.

"Yeah. Mr. Wade and I are gonna head out in a little while. Just thought I'd stop in and check on things." He stopped and watched as Heyes struggled through the last two breaths into the mask. "I'm supposed to help with this, aren't I?"

"You will," Evelyn said. "You can have the two later on today. I won't be here tonight. Ida Hamilton, Mary Forrest and Abby Lawson and I are going to be doing some baking at the Powder Puff. Joe's Debbie will be helping, too."

"The Powder Puff?" Heyes panted as he took the mask away for the last time…at least for this treatment.

"Stop talking. Just rest. You're going to cough any sec…" Evelyn was interrupted by powerful and painful-sounding coughs coming from the man next to her in the bed. Heyes had his eyes shut, and he held his hand to his chest. Kid grimaced, seeing how much pain his partner was feeling with each convulsion. "Oh, dear. Hold this here," she said as she gave Heyes a small pillow to hold to his chest. He looked like he barely had the strength to follow the order.

"The Powder Puff is a restaurant in town. They also bake for some of the other eating establishments: the hotel, the café at the edge of town, Hank's down on the south side. Since there's not been a lot of business lately with everyone staying close to home with the rain, we decided that we'd ask to use the kitchen to bake for folks in the outskirts. Tomorrow, Thaddeus and John will be delivering all of our baked goods." She tapped Heyes' hand to get his attention. "Look outside. It's not raining. The sun's not shining, but it's as near a miracle as we've seen around here lately." Heyes nodded his head, and then looked toward the Kid. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Evelyn warned, "Do not say a word." She looked to Thaddeus. "How do you control this one?"

"Actually, you don't. I don't believe that's really possible." Heyes gave him a dirty look, but then started to cough some more. He groaned and then Kid said, "Mrs. Wade, can I have a minute with him?"

"Of course you can. We're through here, and your friend will be asleep any minute now, won't you, Mr. Smith? Just nod your head 'yes', dear." Heyes nodded yes. Evelyn left the two men alone.

"How're you feelin'?" Kid asked as he sat in the chair, a grin on his face from watching his partner cede to the tiny woman's instructions.

A long series of coughs delayed his reply. He shook his head and finally answered, "Terrible," and then added, "It's not funny."

"It's a little funny," Kid replied, but the smile faded fast. "Ya look…terrible. I wish I'd o' known sooner…"

"Kid, I didn't know much sooner than you did." The longer sentence aggravated the coughing.

"Okay, it seems to me that Mrs. Wade is right about the talking," Kid said with more worry than Heyes liked to hear.

"I'm gettin' better," Heyes said, followed by another series of coughs. This cough brought up a huge amount of phlegm. Heyes spit it into the bowl that Evelyn had left for that purpose.

"See, that's good, though," Kid said.

"Lovely."

"You know what I mean. Besides, Joe said it would seem worse for you before it seemed better, meaning that this is good. It means that you are gettin' better."

"Strange logic," Heyes answered tiredly.

"Yeah, it is. You gonna be okay while I'm gone?"

"Mm hmm. Mrs. Wade is here."

"She reminds me of our mothers," Kid said. "How she's so hard on ya, like Ma used to be with me. I used to hate it when she was like that, but watchin' now, I understand."

"Mmm," was the only reply as Heyes headed toward sleep. Kid took the bowl out of his partner's hands.

"Hey, I need to tell ya something."

"Mm hmm."

"I told Joe about the amnesty." Heyes' eyes flew open.

"What?"

"I had to."

"You _had_ to?" Heyes wanted to argue, but his body was having none of it. His eyes closed.

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have…"

"'s okay," Heyes slurred, drifting off to sleep.

"See ya later," Kid said to his friend.

"Be careful," Heyes slurred. Kid smiled as he left the room.

He found Mrs. Wade in the kitchen. "I think this needs to be emptied," Kid said. "Where should I take it?"

"Oh, I'll handle it. Set it down over there for now. Did you have a good talk? You didn't let him talk too much? It seems to bring on worse coughing. I know that he needs to bring this mess up, but I still hate to see him struggle." She busied herself with the last of the dishes. "He's very stubborn."

"I tried to not let him talk, but I think you know him well enough by now to know how hard that can be," Kid said as he smiled at Mrs. Wade. She was heating tea, cleaning dishes, emptying Heyes' waste and packing lunches, seemingly all at one time. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Wash your hands and then finish wrapping your sandwiches. John says you'll be out all day, checking the herds in the upper pastures. You can fill up those canteens when you're done."

"Yeah, cattle. How'd Joshua manage to squirm out of that?" Kid asked with an ironic tone of voice.

"You'd like to trade places with him?"

"If he was in my place, I believe _he_ would. But having seen what he's goin' through, I'll take my chances with the beef."

"I've got a lot to do today, so finish up what you're doin' and get outta my hair." Kid looked at her, a little leery. She understood his concern. "Don't worry, I'll check on him regularly. He was sleeping when you left?" Kid nodded 'yes'. "Then I'll do the laundry and get it hung and then the rest of my chores are inside. I won't leave him alone for long, I promise."

"What about the rain?" he asked, indicating the cloudy day and the danger she was placing her laundry in.

"It's not going to rain today. It wouldn't dare." She paused and said, "Just like I won't let you down looking after your friend."

Kid felt guilty even thinking that she might neglect his partner. "I am sorry, ma'am. I don't…I know you'll take good care of him. I just…you know…I hate to leave him when he's sick. I don't think he'd leave me…"

"You're not leaving him, dear. You're leaving him with me."

Kid smiled. "And I know I couldn't leave him in better hands." He stood and looked at Evelyn Wade. And she looked back. Her motherly instincts told her that this man needed a hug – real bad. But the language of his movements said that he might not know what to do with one should he receive it. Oh, hell. He'd have to figure that one out for himself.

She stepped up close and pulled him down for a hug. "I don't want you to worry. Go out and enjoy the scenery." She kept a hold of him until he finally grasped her back. "Good boy," she said lightly. "It's pretty country out there, when you can see it." She stepped away first. "Believe it or not, the hills really are green!"

Kid looked at her, his emotions playing with him more than they had in a long time. But he leaned down again and kissed her cheek. "I bet you were the best ma around."

"For miles around," she said as she turned back to the sink. "Finish up and scoot," she instructed as she headed to her next chore.

_**Hurricane Eye**_

"Are y'all right?" John Wade asked as they rode back toward the house. They had spent a long day in the Austin heat and humidity. The rain threatened all day, but the clouds had stayed low and quiet, though their thickness had certainly contributed to the miserable murkiness of the barely breathable air. They'd found four dead animals on their rounds, and managed to get all of the stragglers back to the herd. So long as there was no torrential rain like before, the cattle could remain where they were. John would check in town for a forecast, if he could get one, though living in Texas had taught him to not count on historical precedent or predictions when it came to figuring out the weather.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Mr. Wade. I was just thinkin'," Kid replied softly.

"'Bout what?"

"Oh, how little we've been able to do for you. How Joshua is. How Mac's gonna have our heads for not helpin' out more. How little money we've made in just under a week."

"Ah," Wade replied as they kept to a slow gait back to the ranch. The heat and humidity was taking its toll on the horses as well as the men. "You'll get paid for every day you've been here, Thaddeus. Joshua will be paid for the days he worked."

"I don't think we can let ya do that, Mr. Wade. The rains, well, it slowed us down. And the day we drove down, well, we didn't get much work done that day. It wouldn't seem right. Joshua wasn't expecting to get full pay for what we were able to get done up there."

"Nonsense. Not your fault about the weather. You came all the way from Denver, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah! What'd I say about that?"

"Sorry. Mr. Wade. I still can't…"

"Thaddeus, you helped by bringing Janet and Olivia in. I hate to think how long they'd a been out there if Joshua hadn't spotted 'em. And Jake's dog woulda died out there. Jake's one of my dearest friends. You shoulda seen him when he came to fetch Rambler. I never saw him so close to tears. His family's all gone and Rambler's all he's got. Well, except for Evie and me. And you've pitched right in, doin' everything I've asked, no questions. Mac was right about you two. It's not often I get men like the two of you." They continued along in silence for some time. Wade finally asked, "Would you and Joshua want to stay on for a while?"

Kid didn't answer right away. He made like he was thinking over the offer, but he knew that he and his partner would not stay long. Staying long in once place risked too much; it risked too much for them – in getting recognized, in getting caught – and it risked too much for the Wades, who didn't know what they were asking when they asked Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones to stay on. They would likely think twice if they knew who they really were. And even if they didn't, even if being Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry meant nothing to them, and in light of how Evelyn felt about Joe Martin it was likely that they would understand their story of turning a new leaf and the amnesty, it would be wrong for he and Heyes to risk putting them in danger from posses and others who knew their worth and had been known to hurt people to get to them. For now, he'd have to push off this answer.

"I'd need to talk to my partner about that."

"Okay." The rest of the ride home was quiet, as well it should have been as they were presented with the most amazing sunset to their right as they headed nearer to home. It was the first sun they'd seen all day. Both men took it as a good sign. They finished their ride in companionable silence and that's how things remained for the two men until they gave their horses over to the stable hand at the ranch.

"Evie. We're home," John called to his wife.

"Ssssh!" she warned as she charged from Heyes' room.

"Somethin' wrong?" Kid asked as he headed for the door.

"Leave him be, Thaddeus. He's fine. He's sleeping. It's been a hard day of coughing and hacking up stuff. He's exhausted. Fever's just about gone. He's not been hungry at all, but he may want something later. He's asleep and if we're lucky, he might be getting near to most of that nastiness out of his lungs."

"That's good news, Mrs. Wade."

"That is good to hear, sweetheart. Poor Thaddeus has been worried near to distraction."

"Well, I wouldn't say…"

"I'm kiddin' with ya, though I did fear for ya stayin' on your horse for that last mile." Kid broke into a smile at that. "See, can't deny you been worried, am I right?"

"Yeah, Mr. Wade. You're right."

"Well, now that we've got that square, your dinner is in the oven. I have to go," Evelyn said as she put her hat on and then her riding gloves.

"Do you need someone to go with you?" John Wade asked his wife.

"No, I'm fine getting there. Just remember to send Alex in to help us pack up the wagon. He shouldn't show up any earlier than half past nine."

"Fine, dear," Wade said as he leaned down and kissed his wife warmly on the lips. "See you later."

"Good night, Thaddeus," Evelyn said as she went through the door.

"Good night." He let her go outside and then he remembered, "Oh, Mrs. Wade, is there anything I need to know about Joshua? I'm still giving him two treatments? Anything else?"

"Oh, I am sorry. No, just one. We squeezed one in just a while ago, but like I said, his coughing was much better. He's had all of his medication for one day. And if he wakes and he's hungry, I've some chicken broth sitting on the stove. It's warm, because the oven is. You can check it to see if it's hot enough. I'll tell Doc Hanson that he and Joe won't need to come out tonight. They've obviously had a busy day or I think Joe would have made it by now. I've got to run. Bye."

"Goodbye."

John Wade looked at Curry. "Let's get cleaned up and see what my wife has for us to eat."

"Sounds like a plan."

The food was good and both men ate with hearty appetites, but both had other worries to occupy their minds. There was no dinnertime chat this evening. Kid was thinking about his best friend in the other room, Wade about his wife in town.

"You know, it's not often I don't have Evie with me at night," John finally said over a glass of brandy. "It's a strange feeling."

"She doesn't go into town much?" Kid asked distractedly.

"Oh, she does. It's just, she goes during the day. I'm used to not seeing her all day. I just miss her, at night. Sounds silly, I know."

"No it don't," Kid insisted. "It sounds nice."

"It's probably worse for you," Wade offered.

"Hm?" Kid asked with a quizzical look.

"With your partner. You boys work together and ride together and travel together. Probably eat and drink and play poker together a lot, too. It must be strange for you to be goin' around workin' with me."

"Well, we do most things together, that's true. But we have been known to work separate jobs, when only one hand is needed, or if there are two good jobs available in a town and they aren't together. I admit I'm torn about it. I don't like not bein' there to cover his back, but there are also times when if we don't separate I'm certain that we'll come to blows. Now _that_ is strange," Kid finished.

"No it's not, son. That's normal. Have you hit him?"

Kid nodded and snorted lightly. "We've _not_ pulled our punches, once or twice." Wade sat, saying nothing. Kid went on. "It's usually me that hits first. Heyes is pretty level-headed. I'm the hot head. Usually. But there's times when my partner, well, he's just infuriating sometimes. Acts like he knows everything. Well, not all the time, but I do let it get to me. It's mostly frustratin' because he seems to know so much and he is usually right." Curry looked up to see Wade frowning, seemingly all of a sudden, though Kid had been going on a bit. Wade's eyes seemed to bore into Kid's own. His face looked different, dangerous. Kid hadn't seen that look on Jonathan Wade until now. He didn't like it. "Is somethin' wrong?" Kid asked.

"Maybe."

"What? Did you hear somethin'?" Kid looked toward Ethan's old room. "Should I go check on He…" Kid stopped talking, and then quickly replayed in his head the entire conversation he'd just had with John Wade.

"Heyes?" Wade asked. He'd said it. Heyes was right. Gettin' too close, gettin' too comfortable. What was the phrase his partner always used? 'A recipe for disaster.' Damn it.

"Uh, Mr. Wade…"

"He's Hannibal Heyes," Wade said, his face looking defeated, his eyes showing how betrayed he felt by what these men had perpetrated in his home. "And you're Kid Curry." Kid looked at him, but didn't answer right away. Jonathan Wade would have none of that. "Answer me!"

Kid looked to the door, hoping that Wade's outburst didn't wake his partner. "Mr. Wade, I can explain…"

"You can explain? That will be interesting to hear, if and when I feel ready to hear it. Does Mac know about you?"

"Well, yeah, he does. But Mac knows us and knows that he can use that information when he needs to. And he knew that we would travel near a thousand miles to help his friend."

"I can get help here. I don't need outlaws comin' on my land, in my house…" Wade paused and then said, "Mac specifically recommended you two. Why would he do that?"

Kid wasn't sure how to answer that question, though he was almost certain that Wade wasn't really looking for an answer. He'd never needed Heyes' silvery tongue more than right now. He wasn't the talker in their partnership. "Mr. Wade, Mac…"

"No, no. I don't want to hear what you have to say about Mac. I know Mac McCreedy. But I didn't think he'd consort with bank robbers and train robbers. Did you know that one of Evie's friends was on a train that your gang robbed? She was frightened near-to-death. Evie had to stay with her for days."

"Mr. Wade, the first thing that you need to know is that we never purposefully hurt anyone. We never shot anyone. And if people suffered because of the things we did, we didn't realize it, at least not at first. But we did eventually. And we also eventually realized that we couldn't continue doin' that kind of work…"

"Work! That ain't work, Mr. Jones!" Wade bellowed.

"Mr. Wade, please. Joshua, no matter what he is, or was, he's sick and he don't need to be woke up like this."

"Mr. Jones, this is my house and I will speak as I see fit. However, I understand what you're sayin', and it works to my advantage to let him get better, because the sooner he's better the sooner you and your…partner will be out of my house."

"Mr. Wade, I think you need to know about what we been…"

"Actually, Mr. Jones. I don't need to know anything further. Now, if you will stay with your friend for the duration of your time here, I would appreciate it. Please refrain from being…friendly with my wife. Evie is, as we have discussed, the nicest lady in the west. I don't need her knowing about this. Please keep your real identities to yourselves and as soon as Mr. Smi…Heyes is ready to ride, please leave."

"Mr. Wade…"

"I think you need to stop while you are ahead, son. I could contact the sheriff. I won't, because Evie has grown attached to you two." Wade looked sadly into Kid's eyes. "Leave soon."

Kid lowered his head and then lifted it as he watched John Wade head out of the house. The blond ran his hand through his hair, and then looked toward the door behind which Heyes slept. He needed to go talk to his friend, even if it did mean waking him from much needed slumber. He stood slowly and then walked to the door. He grasped the door knob and then paused before finally turning it. He opened the door to find Heyes awake and looking right at him.

"That didn't go so well," Kid's partner said tiredly.

"No. No, it didn't. How much did you hear?"

"Not much. Enough to know he knows who we are and he wants us gone."

"I'm sorry, Heyes. You were right."

Heyes snorted slightly, smiled and said, "I usually am." Kid looked up, but didn't return the smile. "What was I right about this time?"

"I got too close to these people. Too comfortable. They seemed like…"

Heyes cut him off. "They treated you like a son. They were like substitute parents?"

"Yeah," Kid admitted. "Didn't you feel it?"

"Sure I did, when I was conscious and awake enough. But we know we gotta watch for that. That's not new."

"I know. I messed up."

"You were talkin' about me and you called me Heyes."

"Yeah."

Heyes looked at the top of Kid's head. It was all he could see as Kid held his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. If he had the energy he would yell at him, try to knock some sense back into him. They knew they risked just exactly this happening everywhere they went. They always, always needed to be on their toes. But aside from not having the energy to yell at the Kid, Heyes knew he'd be wrong to do it. It was his fault they were in this predicament. It was his fault because he'd gotten sick and he wasn't there to cover his partner, to watch out for him, to speak for them like he usually did. He pushed the covers off and moved his feet to the side of the bed.

"What're you doin'?" Kid asked.

"Get my clothes."

"No, I ain't gettin' your clothes. Wade might be mad at us, but he ain't gonna make you leave before you're ready."

"We should go, Kid. Evelyn's out doing her baking tonight. It's the right time to leave, before she gets back."

"No it ain't. Now lay back down."

"Look. Wade thinks she won't find out. But she will, because they know each other so well. He won't be able to keep it from her. She's gonna find out no matter what. At least…" Heyes started coughing, but fought through it, intent on making his point, "if we leave now, we won't have to witness her pain."

"Heyes, I am not kiddin'. I will clock you one, or tie you down, but you are not leavin'. And since when are you afraid to stand up to a woman?"

"Kid, that's a low blow…" Heyes replied, but he was overcome with coughing.

"See? Now stop talkin' and get in bed."

"No."

"Yes."

"Kid, get out of my way."

"No."

"What the hell's goin' on in here?" Jonathan Wade yelled from the doorway.

"Mr. Wade, I'm tryin' to get outta your hair," Heyes said as he attempted to stand. But for all the bravado he felt in his heart and all of the best intentions he knew were right in his head, the rest of Heyes' body wasn't ready to manage any of it. His legs gave out, and he fell forward right into Kid's arms.

"Okay. So you showed us how determined you can be…"

"Bull headed is more like it," Wade corrected.

"I was tryin' to be nice," Kid explained as he put Heyes back into bed.

"Bein' nice doesn't seem to be workin' for ya," Wade said as he cocked his head back toward the bed, where Heyes was trying once more for escape.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, will ya knock it off?"

"The man wants us gone, Kid. I'm not exactly sure what you're problem is," Heyes challenged. "Since when do you wanna stay somewhere yer not wanted?" he yelled, sure that his argument would prevail, even if his body continued to betray him.

"Well, how about the thought of you relapsin', or passin' out up on yer horse, or dyin'?"

"I ain't gonna die."

"You might!" Kid countered, his anger enough to put most in their place.

"Mr. Smi…Heyes…whatever. Please get back in bed. I don't want ya gettin' hurt. You should stay 'til you're well."

Heyes sat down, momentarily, and said, "Mr. Wade. Too much has gone on tonight for us to stay. You don't want it, and I guess you don't want to hear our side of it." He coughed, holding the left side of his chest for the first time this night. "I think we…"

"Son, are you all right? You look pale. Paler than earlier. Does your chest hurt?" Wade asked. "I will tell you this, Mr. Smi…Heyes, if you get worse tonight and not better, I can guarantee you that you will earn the wrath of Evelyn Wade, and that ain't none too pretty to experience. Now shut up and get back to bed." Heyes slivered back up against the pillows. Kid pulled the covers up for him. "Now both of ya, just…behave." Wade shook his head and then said, more to himself than to the two outlaws, "Jesus, now I'm actin' like their father." He looked back at them. "Stay put." Wade left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Heyes started to fold his arms over his chest, but the action hurt, so he placed his hands, clasped, on his lap. He looked at Kid and said, "Well, I feel put in my place. You?"

"Yep."

"Now what?"

"You do look a little pale. Are you okay?"

"I think I overdid it, but I'm fine. I think I should do that therapy thing. That seems to have helped."

"You sure? Do you want to eat first?"

"I'm a little hungry, but this might be the last time I have to do this. It won't kill me if I don't eat. Let's see how I feel after I do this thing."

Kid helped Heyes with the mask and by the end Heyes was whiter than Kid remembered seeing him since the beginning of his illness.

"You overdid it again, didn't ya?" Kid asked.

"Mighta," Heyes panted. "Just give me a few minutes. I'll be fine."

"Sure you will."

"Hey…why don't you…go see…if there's any…anything to…eat," Heyes panted as he tried to catch some good air after his exertions. He wasn't really feeling all that hungry now, but it would give the Kid something to do besides worry.

"You're sure you're okay?" Kid asked with concern.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna lay here."

"You promise?"

"Kid, I'd be flat…on the floor if…it wasn't for you earlier. I ain't…goin' nowhere."

"Good. I'll be right back." Kid went out to the kitchen. John Wade was sitting at the table having a cup of coffee, reading a newspaper. The rancher looked up. Kid said, "He says he might be able to eat somethin'. Mrs. Wade said there was broth on the stove."

"Go ahead," Wade said.

"Mr. Wade, I am sorry. For everything. Can I tell ya somethin'?" Kid asked as he checked the heat on the broth. It would do.

"Go ahead."

This was going to be some conversation, and Kid knew he'd likely catch hell from his partner for having it. "Heyes and I, we went straight about nine months ago. We ain't done anything illegal since then. We, well, we hope to earn an amnesty from the governor…"

"Amnesty? For you two?"

"Yes, sir. Uh, sorry. Yes, Mr. Wade. We're workin' with a sheriff up in Porterville, and he's actin' as our go-between, you might say, with the governor. We're only doin' honest, legitimate, legal work these days. And as you might imagine, that ain't easy when there's still a price on our heads. We don't stay in one place long because it endangers the good folks who are kind enough to take us in or hire us, and it jeopardizes our freedom because, even though we have a deal with the governor, he won't admit it. And he's the one who decides when we've earned the amnesty."

Wade looked at Kid with a concentrated stare, trying to decide if he believed this story. It was quite a story, for sure, if it was made up. Wade knew that it wasn't.

"How long did the governor say you had to stay outta trouble? I assume that if you get caught in the meantime, the deal is off."

"That's what we suspect. He said about a year. Only me, Heyes, that sheriff and the governor know about it. And now you."

"So all of this is why you didn't give me an answer about stayin' on. You didn't really have any intention of sayin' yes."

"Mr. Wade, there ain't nothin' we'd like better than to say yes to your offer. It just wouldn't be right to put you folks in that kind of danger." Kid spooned out a small bowl of broth for his partner. He turned to see Wade's reaction to what he'd said. His face was back in the newspaper. Kid turned and left the room.

As he walked into Ethan's old room he found Heyes dozing. He sat down in the chair and placed the bowl on the night stand. Kid put his hand on Heyes arm and shook it lightly. "Heyes, wake up."

"Hmph," his friend murmured as he felt his way out of his light sleep. "Hey."

"Hey. How do you feel?"

"Tired. Better. Sorta hungry," he lied.

"Good. Let me help you sit up some." Kid made to _hug_ his partner in order to pull him up higher against the pillows. Heyes put his arms around his friend and really hugged him.

"It'll be all right, Kid." Kid Curry didn't hug him back. "Kid?" Heyes asked. "Everything okay?" Curry pulled away.

"Yeah. Can you handle this yourself or do you need help?"

"I think I can do it myself." He tried a spoonful and waited to see how it settled. "What's wrong?" he asked as he took another spoonful. The broth tasted wonderful and it seemed to be going down easy.

"Nothin'," Kid said as he looked out the window. There was nothing to see, it was now dark outside.

"Kid, I'm losing my appetite worryin' about you. Tell me what's wrong."

"I told Wade about the amnesty."

"Seems a popular topic of conversation when I'm not around," Heyes noted, a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"I know we ain't supposed to tell anyone, but I thought maybe if he…he's a good man, Heyes. He and his wife are decent people and they've been decent to us. They deserved to know that they weren't really harboring fugitives."

"Harboring fugitives?" Heyes snorted, happy that he hadn't had a mouthful of soup when the Kid had said that. "You been reading dime novels while I've been sleepin'?"

"No."

Heyes wasn't in the mood to argue, and his partner was clearly not in the mood to hear how he'd screwed up again. "Look, what's done is done. Forget about it. And since it seems I'm Mr. Wade's prisoner, at least for tonight, let's just forget it and we'll try to make another run for it in the morning."

"We'll see how you're doing in the morning."

"That works, too." Heyes yawned and then dropped the spoon in the bowl. "I think I've had enough."

Kid looked in the bowl. "Not bad. You feel okay?"

"Yeah. Tired. I think I'm ready for bed."

"Good. Mind if I put my feet up on the edge?"

"Only if you go get that extra pillow over there. I won't sleep thinking about that crick in your neck that you're gonna have without it."

"Good night, Heyes," Kid said as he stood to retrieve the pillow.

"Good night, Kid."

_**Bad Moon on the Rise**_

Kid woke from the haze of sleep. He heard faint voices from…somewhere. He blinked and tried to wake up some more. He looked over to Heyes, who seemed to be sleeping comfortably, and quietly. What a great sign, Kid thought. But then he was bothered again by the voices, which sounded more now like an argument than the blurred, disconnected, meaningless sounds from before. He stood and walked quietly to the door. He opened it. The angry voices wafted through into the room. He shut the door quickly, and looked over at his partner. Heyes moved his head to the left, and then the right, a slight frown marring his otherwise peaceful looking face. He coughed lightly and then seemed fast asleep once more. Kid opened the door, walked through, and closed it quickly. He headed into the kitchen, where he found the Wades arguing.

"I hope you aren't arguing about my partner and me."

"Thaddeus, how are you this morning?" Evelyn Wade asked. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" she asked as she went straight to the cupboard to grab a cup. Kid thought her eyes looked a little bright this morning. She'd been crying.

"That would be nice, ma'am."

"Sit down. How did you sleep? Why didn't you go to sleep in your bed?" she asked as she placed the cup in front of him.

"Thanks. I dunno. I felt like I wanted to be close to Joshua last night. I helped him with that breathing thing. It's rough to watch." Kid caught John Wade's eyes, a silent promise passing to the rancher in that one look that he wouldn't mention being banished to Heyes' room the night before.

"It is, dear. But it does seem to have worked, doesn't it?"

"Yes, ma'am, it does. He's breathing much easier this morning. He's still asleep."

"Good. I'm sure he could use the rest." She sat across from Kid and smiled at him. "Jonathan tells me that you two had words last night." Curry looked at Wade once more, and Wade held his gaze. And then Kid turned back to Evelyn.

"Well, we talked. And then we talked some more." Kid looked into his coffee cup and then back up into Evelyn's eyes. "He told you who we were?"

"Yes."

"He told you why we'll be leaving as soon as Joshua is ready?" Why had he not remembered to call Heyes 'Joshua' last night?

"He told me, but I told him that I would try to talk you out of it."

"You won't be able to," Kid said sadly.

"I don't know, Thaddeus. I can be pretty persuasive."

"I don't doubt that, Mrs. Wade. But how we've lived our lives these last months…it seems to be working for us, and it seems to be working for the people we care about. I'm pretty sure my partner will agree that we should stick to a plan that works."

"I'm sure that in your…previous business there were times when you had to stray from your plan and you were able to come out okay," Evelyn suggested.

"Yes, I'll agree, that has happened in the past. We've also sometimes strayed from the plan, and it didn't turn out so well. Again, I believe Joshua would agree that it would be best if we erred on the side of caution," Kid explained, trying not to offend the woman who had been so kind to him and a lifesaver to his partner.

"Well," Evelyn said as she stood and moved to the stove for the coffee pot. "You will stay for another couple of days because it is the right thing to do for Joshua." She filled her husband's cup, and then her own. "And besides," she continued as she placed the pot back on the stove, "I…we have a favor to ask."

"A favor?" Kid asked, perplexed. He doubted that John Wade was really asking any favor of Kid Curry. But Evelyn Wade? It would be hard to say no to the woman, but he steeled himself for just that possibility.

"Yes, dear. It's about Joe Martin. He's gone."

"Gone?"

"Yes. He said that he had to leave. And now that I know who you and Joshua really are, I think I understand why. You knew Joe before, didn't you?"

Why did it seem like his partner was getting off easy these days, even with how sick he'd been? How was he going to answer these questions? How much did the Wades need to know? And what were they going to ask him to do about Joe Martin high-tailing it out of Austin?

"We did, Mrs. Wade." The answer came from exactly the source Kid was hoping would help him out. Heyes was standing at the door to Ethan's old room, holding on to the doorframe. Evelyn jumped from her seat and ran to his side.

"Joshua, what are you doing? Get back to bed," she demanded.

"No," he insisted, his forward momentum taking him toward the kitchen table. Evelyn helped him to a seat.

"How do you feel?" she asked. "Can I get you anything?"

"A cup of coffee would be great."

"I meant something for breakfast. Something to get your strength back."

"How about coffee and breakfast?" Heyes paused to give himself a chance to cough. At least he seemed a little more in control of his body; it was a small step, but it seemed getting over this was all about one step at a time. "Coffee first, we'll talk about Joe, and then breakfast. How's that sound?" Heyes asked, his dimples showing in his reluctant smile. Evelyn looked at him and found it somehow impossible to say no to him. She walked to the cupboard and got him his coffee.

John Wade leaned over to him and said, "You've got her wrapped around your finger, there, Mr. Smi…um, what are we supposed to call you fellas?" the rancher asked. He didn't seem quite as mad as he'd been with Kid the previous night.

Heyes smiled at his partner and then looked to John and Evelyn. He let Kid answer for them. "It's best for everyone if you keep callin' us Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones." Heyes kept his eyes on Evelyn and asked, "What can we do for you in regard to Joe Martin?"

"Well, you'll do nothing but get back to bed after you've eaten something. I'm so glad you have an appetite, dear. But Thaddeus, it would…I know that it is an awful lot to ask…but would you find Joe and bring him back?"

Kid looked at his partner. This was definitely going to mess with their plans of heading away from this wet and otherwise messy mess that they'd found themselves in. Heyes would be ready to ride tomorrow; he might not be one hundred percent ready, but the weather had turned for the better, which was pretty much the opposite direction of how things had gone with them and the Wades in these last twelve hours. Kid wanted to do it, but he could see in Heyes' entire demeanor that he hadn't cottoned too much to the idea of Kid going it alone.

"Mrs. Wade," Heyes started. "We don't know when Joe left…how he left…where he went…"

"By horse, and he was heading east," Evelyn said. She hesitated before continuing, "I…I'm not sure when."

Heyes laughed lightly at the information. "You may want to consider applying for a position as a Bannerma…woman, Mrs. Wade." Heyes was taken by surprise by a cough, one that, though it didn't sound as bad as some of the ones following his treatments, sounded like it wanted to hang around for a while. Kid took over for his partner.

"It'd be hard to track him now. Assuming he left last night…it did rain some last night. And he's got a head start."

"I understand that. But the fact is that Joe wouldn't have run if you two hadn't shown up," Evelyn said, a hint of apology in her manner at having said what she did.

"That may be so…" Kid started, but a barely-done-coughing Heyes interrupted angrily.

"Joe knows that we wouldn't've done anything to endanger his position here." He coughed and saw that both the Kid and Evelyn had something to say. He put his hand up to stop them and then added chokingly, "It is not our fault that he left. Someone must've said…" he coughed again, but insisted on finishing, "something to him to make him bolt the way he did." He saw John and Evelyn chance a glance at each other. "It was one of you, wasn't it? It was you, wasn't it Mrs. Wade?" Heyes' tone was not kind. He sighed. Heyes looked at his partner, and then he shook his head and then he rubbed his temple. All of this talking and coughing and trying to figure out what to do was giving him a headache. "Why?" he asked. He wanted to temper his anger, but he couldn't…he didn't have the energy to fake it. "What would have…I don't understand. He was here for a year. You liked him. Why would you do this?"

"I…um…I mentioned to Joe that John had found out who you two were. I like you boys very much, and knowing what you'd done in the past hasn't changed how I feel. And the amnesty just tells me that I was right about feeling that way." Evelyn's explanation was turning into a confession. "So I thought I would try to get Joe to tell me what he'd done. I explained about how much I like him and about how he'd become an important part of our community. Well, he got skittish like a newborn colt. He jumped on his horse and tore out of here. Oh!" she added at the end, realizing that she'd given herself away on the timing of Joe's departure.

"Tore outta here?" Kid asked as he stood and headed for the door. Evelyn clammed up. "When?" Kid demanded. Still, Evelyn did not answer.

Heyes reached his hand across the table and placed it over the older woman's. "Evelyn?" he asked, calling her by her given name for the first time. "How long ago did he leave?" She looked up, tears in her eyes. She didn't answer. "Five minutes ago you wanted my partner to find Joe. Has something changed?" Heyes asked gently, at first. When Evelyn wasn't forthcoming, Heyes demanded, "What has changed?"

No matter how gentle Heyes had been with Evelyn Wade at the start, the entire series of questions seemed more of an interrogation to Jonathan Wade. He stood and then stormed over to the questioner. He shoved Heyes in the chest, pushing him away from the table. "That's enough!" he said. Heyes bent forward, the pressure on his chest hurt more than he expected it would, or could. And the force of the push from the tall Texan – he wasn't known as 'Long John' for nothing – made the chair, and the man in it, topple over, falling to the right. Heyes hit the floor with a pained grunt.

"Heyes!" Kid called as he jumped from his seat and ran to his friend's aid.

"Jonathan!" Evelyn yelled as she, too, went to help the fallen man.

John Wade kneeled down as well. "Mr. Smith, I am so, so sorry. I didn't mean…I forgot what Joe said about touching you there. I'm sorry."

"Did…ow…did Joe say that? Ah, I, um, I don't remember that. Oh, that hurts," he said as he curled into a ball on the floor. He coughed. "That hurts more."

"Thaddeus? John? Please help Joshua to his room. Carefully," she added as she looked at her husband, one eyebrow raised in warning.

"She…ouch…she can be a little scary, huh?" Heyes asked Wade breathlessly.

"You have no idea, son. Is it where I pushed on your chest that hurts? I am sorry, son."

"Um, yeah, that, and I think I hit my right elbow, and my pride's a little bruised, too."

"Never mind that, Joshua," Kid said. "You ready?"

"'s ever as I can be, I guess," Heyes answered reluctantly.

"On three," Curry said, looking at Wade for an acknowledgement.

"Okay."

"One, two, three." The two men, with Heyes helping by pushing up with his legs, got the former Devil's Hole Gang leader to his feet. Heyes provided the moans and sighs that said the morning hadn't been one of his better ones.

"Kid," Heyes said, slipping, using Curry's nickname. "Go get Joe. He can't've gone far. Yer a better rider than he is on his best day." Heyes coughed, which stopped his instructions.

"Joshua," Evelyn warned.

"I'll shut up in a minute," he said, dismissing her for now. "Mr. Wade, give Thaddeus…" he groaned at the pain in his chest, "your fastest horse." He turned to his partner. "Don't spook 'im."

"You mean the horse or Joe?" Kid asked, using humor to help him bear watching his partner suffer. "I know," he said when Heyes just stared at him. Kid knew that Heyes was silently reminding him that Joe knew how to use a gun, but not wanting to say it flat out in front of the Wades.

"Be careful." Not until he'd finished that last, most important part did Hannibal Heyes rest his head on the fluffed up pillows. He coughed and rubbed the left side of his chest, but his eyes never let go of his partner's until he saw the agreement in Kid's eyes with Heyes' last spoken words.

"Evie, I'll have Pete and Alex deliver that stuff you baked last night," John Wade told his wife. He turned to Kid Curry. "Let's go, Mr. Jones." The two men headed out to find the best horse for this important job. Not until he could no longer see his partner did Hannibal Heyes finally give in and shut his eyes. In doing so, he seemed to finally, truly accept the pain, both the pain of his new physical hurts as well as the pain of knowing his partner was leaving without him there to cover his back.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Smith," Evelyn said. Heyes ignored her. "I didn't mean…I mean…I never expected Jonathan to act like that." Heyes kept his eyes shut, coughing occasionally, holding his chest when he did. "I sh…shouldn't have said anything to Joe."

"No. You shouldn't have."

"I…I was afraid. I knew that you and your partner hadn't hurt anyone. For some reason…oh, dear, I don't know why…I just felt…I thought I needed to know that Joe hadn't, either." Evelyn started to unbutton Heyes' nightshirt. "I don't know why I suddenly needed to know that. After all this time…"

"Had he ever done anything to make you think you had to worry about him?"

Evelyn opened the shirt. "You don't look…well…I suppose it will take some time for a bruise to show up, if one does." Evelyn looked guiltily into Heyes' eyes.

"It will." Heyes no longer felt any need to spare Evelyn's feelings. What she'd done to Joe was wrong. Neither he nor his partner would normally defend a cold-blooded killer, and there was no denying that Joe Martin had been that – a long time ago. But he'd changed. People change. He and Kid had changed. It was true, not everyone deserved a second chance; most outlaws probably never earned the right to one. And even though he and the kid had earned it, and were working hard to get their second chance, they'd had to bear many stormy times along the way. No doubt Joe had, too. And he'd given a full year to this community, and probably saved a lot of lives in the process. It riled Heyes that Evelyn Wade thought she had the right to ruin it for Joe Martin. Heyes liked the lady, that was true. It was hard not to. He'd trusted her…so had Kid. But he now thought twice about whether he ought to, about whether _she_ had really earned that right.

"I'm gonna get some ice for that elbow. It's swelling some. I'm not sure what I should do about your chest. Do you think you can do your breathing treatment?" Evelyn asked, for the first time showing a kink in her steady, motherly resolve.

"Why don't we…" Heyes began, but was stalled once again by coughing, which really hurt in light of the 'beating' he'd just taken. "Let's wait to see what Joe thinks."

"Okay," Evelyn agreed. "Your cough seems, um, aggravated, a little, by what…happened." By what her husband had done she found that she could not say out loud.

"Maybe. Could be I just shouldn'a got outta bed."

"That's possible. Maybe."

"I don't blame your husband. He just thought he needed to defend you from a dangerous outlaw."

"Oh, Mr. Smith, that's not what I think of you, and I know that Jonathan doesn't believe that, either. He did react badly, and I know he was defending me. But he does like you, and Thaddeus. He told me so. He was devastated to learn who you were, but he does believe your story about the amnesty. Do you know he asked Thaddeus and you to stay on, before…"

"Before he found out who we were."

"Yes."

"And now?"

"And now you won't stay because we know," Evelyn answered sadly.

"No," Heyes replied, angry that she still didn't grasp what he and the Kid had tried to explain earlier. If he didn't know better, he'd almost think that she was being purposefully stubborn on the topic. He tried again. "We won't stay because it's not safe. It's as simple as that." He coughed and ended with a strained, "Ow."

"Shall I make you that breakfast?"

"No. I'm not hungry."

"You're worried for Thaddeus,' Evelyn declared with certainty.

"No, Evelyn…" Heyes paused, needing to rein in his simmering anger. He didn't want to be mean to the woman – she'd helped him more than he could say. But his anger wasn't really being eased by his gratefulness to her. Plus, the anger somehow seemed to compound the pain in his chest. He took a calming breath. "I always worry about him when I'm not there with him, but no, I'm not worried that Joe's gonna hurt him, if that's what you mean. We knew Joe a long time ago…" he coughed harshly, but continued, "and we liked him, but we disagreed on…some things. We parted ways. The Joe Martin who was here, the one we've seen you and Mr. Wade treat like family, that's a different Joe Martin than we knew. A better Joe Martin."

"I'm sorry," Evelyn offered weakly.

Heyes coughed and then laid his head back into the pillows. He rubbed his hand absently against his sore chest. "I'm tired," he said as he closed his eyes and ended the conversation.

_**A Better Day is in the Cards**_

Heyes heard voices, but he felt too tired to join in on the conversation. Plus, hadn't there been pain and suffering, both physical and mental, the last time he was awake? Better to sleep. He was tired, in heart, mind and spirit. They had to know that, these people who chattered on, interrupting his shut-eye. Surely Kid knew; he'd make sure everybody left, and let him be.

"Joshua! You need to wake up!"

Heyes groaned and then asked, "Why?" as he recognized the traitorous voice yelling at him.

"Because Joe Martin's gonna take a look at ya."

Heyes blinked, his eyes focusing, a little, his mind wrapping itself around the fact that even his partner wasn't going to leave him in peace. Wait a minute. Wasn't his partner out tracking Joe Martin? Joe Martin.

"Joe Martin!" Heyes said, pushing himself up in the bed. He winced, closing his eyes in an effort to try to bear the pain. He grabbed his chest and said, "Ouch." He lay back down and said, "You found Joe?"

"I'm right here," Joe said. "That was dumb, if you don't mind my saying so."

"You got a lotta nerve talking about doin' dumb things, Joe." He stopped for a round of coughing. "If I didn't know I'd hurt myself more than I'd hurt you, I'd hit ya." Heyes looked around carefully, coughed, and asked, "Where's my gun?"

"Cut it out," Kid said. "Nobody's afraid of you right now. Let Joe get a look atcha."

Heyes waved his hand and said, "I was just kidding. 'm glad you're back, Joe."

"Thanks."

"Besides, I'm sure Mrs. Wade'll take care of roughin' ya up for all of us," Heyes warned, punctuating his clever retort with another series of coughs. Joe frowned at what he was seeing and hearing, and not just for fear of what Evelyn Wade had in store for him.

"And the sooner you quiet down and let Joe check you out, the sooner I can get to that," Evelyn retorted.

"You want me to keep stallin', Joe?" Heyes joked. Evelyn slapped him hard on the leg. "Quieting down now, ma'am."

Joe started his exam and when he got to Heyes' chest he whistled. "What happened here? This is…well…this is not good."

"Tell me about it," the patient answered, coughing lightly.

"What happened?"

"Let's just say I had a misunderstanding with…" Heyes looked over at John Wade, who stood uncomfortably by the doorway, "a protective husband." Joe scowled at Wade, not able to come up with a scenario where the rancher that he'd known for a year would injure a sick man in this way. "It's okay, Joe. It really was a misunderstanding, on both our parts." Joe looked to Kid, knowing that he wasn't getting the whole story, and knowing that Heyes' readily forgiving nature was in play here somehow.

"Well, it's not okay. Have you been coughing more since this happened?" As if on cue, Heyes let out a long cough as evidence that he had. "Uh-huh. Well, I don't sense anything that feels like there's blood building up there" he said as he gently pressed his fingers against the bruised chest. "Gettin' hit like that was a setback, Joshua. I'm gonna want you to take a break from this breathin' machine for the rest of the day, but you'll need to get back to it tomorrow to keep making progress, at least for another day or so."

"Well, now there's some good news," Heyes offered acerbically.

"How's your appetite?"

"Non existent?"

"Whaddya mean? You had that broth last night," Kid challenged.

Heyes had the decency to look chagrined when he said, "I ate it, it tasted good, but I wasn't really hungry."

"Evelyn, I think we need to come up with a nutritious and tempting meal plan for Joshua. He needs to get his energy up. I'll bring back some more of Doc's medicine, too, after I…um…go see Debbie."

"Can't I just take the medicine with me?" Heyes complained.

"No," Joe, Evelyn and Kid said together.

John laughed. Heyes shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth a try. Isn't the medicine one of the reasons I'm so tired?"

"There's only a mild sedative effect from the mixture. It's mostly just you feelin' poorly," Joe noted.

"That's good to know," Heyes said irritably.

"I coulda told you that," Kid tossed in.

Joe shook his head. In his experience, exams tended to be a lot less complicated than either of the ones he'd done on Hannibal Heyes. "Does your chest still hurt?"

"Yes, it hurts," Heyes answered, annoyed. "Doesn't it look like it hurts?"

"Coughing hurts?"

"Yes," Heyes answered, rolling his eyes and knowing where Joe was going with this. Heyes stared him down. It didn't work.

"Ache all over?"

"Yes."

"How 'bout standing and walking? How're you doing with that these days?" Joe asked with a little more tenacity, temerity, in fact than Heyes thought the situation called for.

Heyes looked to his partner. "Ya had to find him, huh?" He asked it with a smirk on his face, a real, true Hannibal Heyes smile, the kind of smile where the amusement encapsulated every ounce of his being. "Fine. You all…win. Now, I believe I…was sleeping comfortably, re…la…tive…ly speaking, when you all interrupted…me. Rudely," he interjected, staring at the Kid. "Am…I allowed to go back to sleep…or do…you…have some torture you…need to inflict on me…before I do?" His grand speech might have been more impressive and have had a greater impact on his audience if he hadn't been coughing after every third, fourth or fifth word.

"Take a drink, Mr. Smith," Evelyn ordered. He did as he was told. "Now, close your eyes," she added. Heyes' face said that was exactly what he was trying to do. He opened his mouth to express it verbally when Evelyn interrupted, "And your mouth. You can have a nap now. I will be bringing you lunch in an hour. You will eat it."

Heyes closed his eyes. "Looking forward to it," he answered caustically.

"He always this pleasant when he's sick?" Jonathan Wade asked Kid Curry.

"Oh, you people have brought out the best in him," he said, a rare moment of sarcasm from Kid Curry. That was usually his partner's domain. But all of this trouble with Joe had been brought on by the Wades and Joe, not at all by Kid and his partner. He felt he held the right to a little bit of sarcasm.

Heyes smiled at the sharpness of Kid's reply, followed by, "Can't rest with all this talkin' goin' on." He blinked his eyes open worriedly, looking around the room.

"Yes, Mr. Smith, you said that out loud," Evelyn Wade sighed pleasantly as she shooed the men from the room. She winked at Heyes as she shut the door on her way out.

Not talking, and knowing things had been set to rights seemed to ease the mind, body and spirit of Hannibal Heyes, and he easily fell fast asleep, dreaming of a future full of little Joe Martins, Kid Currys and even Hannibal Heyeses. The wonder of such a world made the power of the most awesome natural disaster, like the last days' floods, or the worst tornado, hurricane, sandstorm or firestorm pale in comparison. A smile came to his face as he imagined Kid's reaction when he told him about his mind's crazy meanderings.

A couple of days later, Kid Curry and Hannibal Heyes were ready to head out, except for one small bit of unfinished business.

"I'll take two."

"One for me." Of course. Not only was Evelyn Wade good at poker, but the game of poker seemed to be thoroughly charmed by the lady – she'd been dealt nothing but great cards all night.

"Three," Kid sighed. Heyes snorted a laugh. Kid looked back at him derisively.

"Four." The other three players looked questioningly at John Wade. "You dealt this garbage to me, dear," he said sweetly to his wife. "I would have folded except Evie doesn't like that, either," he said to Heyes and Curry.

"Statistically, she's right about folding so soon. You have to at least give yourself a chance," Heyes noted.

"Why Joshua, I believe that's the most you've said at one time without a cough in five days," Kid commented with an amused smile.

Heyes cocked his head indulgently at his partner, smiled and said, "I believe it's my bet?"

"I believe you're right," Evelyn replied. They'd been playing their clandestine game of poker for a little more than an hour and Evelyn and Heyes had nearly wiped out the other two competitors.

Heyes had kept pace in the game by sheer skill and cunning; he sure hadn't been touched by good fortune in the deal the way Evelyn had been. They were using chips, not playing for money, but Heyes thought he had a hand now that would put this game out of his challenger's reach for good.

"I'll bet two, and raise five," he said, making sure to offer his deep-dimpled smile to his talented opponent.

"That won't work with me today, Joshua."

"I don't know what you mean, Evelyn."

"The smile. The dimple. Not when I've got you in my sights," the lady of the house said to her soon-to-be-ex houseguest.

"Oooh. I guess I should be worried," Heyes said, oozing loads of charm and only barely stifled impish impudence.

"They never learn," John Wade said under his breath, but not quietly enough that Heyes and Curry didn't hear it clearly. Heyes looked worriedly to his partner, and then shook his head, sure that he had a hand that was a winner.

"I'll see your five," Mr. Smith, "and raise you ten."

Kid Curry whistled. "Well, I know what I got in my hand, so I'm foldin'. I advise you to watch yourself, Joshua."

"Thanks, Thaddeus. Comments like that do wonders for my confidence." He coughed lightly and then took a gulp of his coffee. He breathed easily when nobody took any special notice of the cough. He'd been feeling better and better over the last two days, and the cough had begun to make less impressive appearances over these last few hours.

"Yeah, confidence is something that you lack in abundance," Kid noted wryly.

"Mm," Heyes replied noncommittally. "Mr. Wade?"

"Nah, I'm out. Think I'll sit back and watch you two go at it."

Heyes swallowed uncomfortably, and then seemed to gag, and then he coughed violently. He held his fist over his mouth, his eyes grown wide with surprise at the unexpected outburst. His eyes suddenly started to tear and he choked out, "water" in between more coughing.

"Oh, dear," Evelyn said as she quickly retrieved a glass of water. "Are you all right?" she asked as she placed the back of her hand to Heyes' forehead.

"Swallowed wrong," he explained. He swatted Evelyn's hand away and eked out, "Not sick…just swallowed…wrong," he choked out. He drank more water and apologized sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't be silly. That could happen to anyone, but you are especially susceptible. Your throat is still tender." She looked at Heyes with a frown as he continued to cough and clear his throat and asked, "Do you want to continue our game?" It was obvious that she wanted to, Heyes and the Kid could see it in her eyes. Evelyn Wade could have become one of the great poker players, in another century or so. But in this century she'd had the misfortune of being born a woman who would never be allowed to progress far in a man's game. She was definitely relishing playing with someone as knowledgeable and clever as Hannibal Heyes.

"Can't think of a better way," Heyes started, pausing momentarily to clear his throat, "to spend our last night," he smiled, finally able to talk normally again.

"You boys sure you won't stay on longer?" John Wade asked.

"We wish we could, but we've had this job lined up with our friend up in Wyoming for some time," Kid explained. "We're just sorry we weren't able to do more for you folks," he added. Heyes kept his head down, studying a poker hand that he already had memorized, knowing that he'd done nearly nothing to earn their keep while in Austin.

"Joshua?" Evelyn queried. "You shouldn't feel bad about what happened. It wasn't your fault you got sick."

"It's hard not to feel bad about it, Evelyn. I let you and Mr. Wade down, and I let my partner down, too."

"No ya didn't," Kid said. "I'm just glad you're feelin' better." Heyes smiled, but he was still embarrassed by all of the kindness, from his friend and from these people who had been so generous with their home, in spite of the rough spots along the way.

"It's not dangerous for you to be in territory where you're wanted?" Evelyn asked worriedly.

"It could be, but we're extra careful when we're up that way. It's really no worse for us there than anywhere else. Bounty hunters are always lookin' for us no matter where we go. If we get recognized here, someone would try to take us in, too," Heyes noted.

Kid continued. "And our friend who lined up this job is the sheriff we mentioned before, the one who knows about the amnesty deal. He sometimes finds us work, though somehow the work he finds us does tend to be on the riskier side."

"Funny how that happens," Heyes said sardonically. "But he brings us work pretty regular, and it's honest. In our position, it's hard for us to come by good payin' work."

"Plus, the fact that it's honest work trumps the risk these days," Kid added.

"It just seems like such a terrible way to have to live," John Wade said. "I would hire you on full-time here." Heyes and Kid looked wistfully at one another. Would that they could…

"We appreciate that, Mr. Wade," Heyes said. "But we talked about that already. We can't risk wearin' out our welcome and bringing trouble to you good folks."

Kid added, "And stayin' any place for any amount of time is just givin' more people more time to recognize us. We gotta keep movin'."

"Oh, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's have fun and finish our poker game and then we'll have a nice dinner. You boys can regale us with one of your escapades," Evelyn Wade said, putting a smile on her face when what she really felt was worry for these two nice young men that she'd grown so attached to over the last week.

"Well, first things first, Mrs. Wade," Hannibal Heyes said, his winning hand putting him in a winning mood once more. It was a far different mood than he'd held for most of his time in Austin. And though he hated to do it to the nice woman who had nursed him back to health, he knew he would have to go for the kill, so to speak. "Call," he said, his eyes sparkling in triumph. Kid noticed the ever present dimple grown deep from one of those sincere Heyes smiles, also projecting his good fortune, and melting the heart of one Evelyn Wade. She was the one who really didn't stand a chance up against his partner's charms. "Let's see what you've got."

The End.


End file.
